


All Alright

by stellarmeadow



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 01:31:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/742595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarmeadow/pseuds/stellarmeadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An explosion leaves the team grieving as they try to solve the murder of one of their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was triggered by listening to fun.'s "All Alright" a few too many times and then it kind of ate my brain. Huge thanks to @jazzsquare and [Cori Lannam](http://archiveofourown.org/users/corilannam) for listening to my bitching and for reading it through and letting me know that it did not, in fact, suck. And a big shout out to my Twitter buds for keeping me from going crazy while writing it (and for the suggestion for the first scene!). Hope you like the results!
> 
> Also, a very, very special thanks to very talented [uxseven](http://archiveofourown.org/users/uxseven) for the gorgeous banner and letter! You are awesome!
> 
>  
> 
> _Yeah it's all alright_  
>  I guess it's all alright  
> I got nothing left inside of my chest  
> But it's all alright
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~

"Okay, you are wrong," Danny said, his hands flying through the air as he spoke, "which, admittedly, is not unusual. There is no way, absolutely no way in the world that would actually happen."

Steve made a disgusted sound, hiding his urge to smile at Danny's ire. "You didn't believe black helicopters were real either."

"They're not. You made it up."

"Who are you gonna trust, Danno," Steve asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to change, "me or some FBI guys who locked you up?"

"CIA. And...well, actually, that might be a good point, except for the part where you like to make shit up that I can't verify if it supports your point."

"If you can't verify it, how do you know if I'm making it up?"

Danny shifted in his seat. "Because you're you. And I am telling you, Steven, there is no way that a team of elite soldiers could just run around helping people out without getting caught. I mean, law enforcement would be looking for them everywhere. They'd be on wanted posters all over the place."

"They're trained to disappear, Danny. And the government is very good at that training."

"So Joe Schmoe, who couldn't find a way on his own to save his farm from evil corporate raiders who want the land, could find these guys easily, but the entire army couldn't find them?"

"Because they're just that good."

"No one is that good, Steve."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Really? You know me better than anyone, and you couldn’t find me when I didn't want to be found."

"I'm one person. And you were hiding from everyone, especially me. They have the entire army after them."

"Not the entire army. Just parts of it."

"There is still no way."

Steve gave him a smug glance as he pulled into the HQ parking lot. "They call them The A-Team for a reason, Danny. They were the best."

"And only on TV would that really work."

"Says you," Steve replied, getting out of the car.

As they walked up the sidewalk to the front doors, Danny said, "Oh, uh, I got a thing this afternoon, by the way."

Steve stopped, grabbing Danny's arm to stop him, too. "A thing?" he asked, hoping it sounded casual.

Danny scratched at his temple, a tick Steve swore he'd developed to hide the eye twitch anything involving Rachel had given him. "I got a text this morning from Rachel. Stan's in town, and they want to talk. Something about Grace and school--it was hard to get the gist in 160 characters."

"You need back up?" Steve asked.

Danny laughed. "Thanks, but no. I think I can handle them. They're a little less obnoxious now that we share custody."

"Okay." Steve squeezed Danny's arm before letting go. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"Thanks."

***

Steve was in the middle of writing up a case--and he was never betting that in a poker game with Danny again--when Kono burst through the door to his office. "HPD just got a call about an explosion in Kahala."

"Explosion? Where?"

Her hesitation told him all he needed to know, but she confirmed it with one word that seized up Steve's heart. "Rachel's."

"Danny was on his way there," Steve said, already half way out of the office by the time he finished the sentence. "Let's go."

HPD was cordoning off the street when Steve's truck screeched to a halt at the corner, Chin's Traverse right behind. Steve jumped out of the truck and looked around, finding Duke close by.

"What happened?" Steve asked without preamble. Duke would know who lived here by now, and pretty much all of HPD knew who Rachel Edwards was to Danny, or, rather, to Grace, after the custody battle.

"We're still investigating. All we know is a bomb went off at the Edwards' house. The bomb squad is there now, evaluating the situation."

"I have to go in there," Steve said, heading for the police tape.

Duke grabbed his arm. "You can't go anywhere near the house until the bomb squad is sure there aren't any other devices. You know that."

"I don't care."

Chin and Kono appeared on either side of him, leaving him very little room to get by and duck under the tape. "Steve," Chin said quietly, "if Danny's in there, and you go in all bull in a china shop, both of you could get killed if you set something else off."

"Let the bomb squad do their job," Kono added.

Steve took a deep breath, hands on top of his head for a moment. "Okay," he said, looking at Duke. "Just tell me if the Camaro is there?" Maybe, just maybe, he hadn't made it in time.

Duke's careful swallow had Steve's heart sinking into his stomach even before Duke said, "It's in the driveway. They reported it when they went in."

He felt Kono's hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't turn to look at her. He just kept his eyes on the activity he could just make out down the street outside Rachel's house, waiting to see anything that might hint that he could go search for himself.

***

It felt like hours before the bomb squad radioed that they'd found no sign of additional devices. Before Steve could move towards the tape, though, they reported that they had three adult victims, but no way to ID them yet.

"Three," Steve said, looking at Chin and Kono. "They told Danny it was about school. Maybe it was someone from the school with them?"

He saw that look they exchanged, knew what it meant. But they didn't know Danny. He had to be okay. He was Danny. Steve was the one who took all the crazy risks, the one who was likely to die one day in a fiery or bullet-laden death.

Not Danny.

"Let me go in there," he said. "I'll know if it's him."

Chin shook his head. "No."

"Chin--"

"Steve, trust me. If it's not, then a few minutes won't matter. If it is, you don't want to see it."

And Chin should know--he'd held Malia in his arms and watched as she died. Not that it was the same with him and Danny, not exactly, but...it was more similar than he really liked to think about. Especially right now.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing!"

"Sometimes," Chin said slowly, "that's all you can do."

***

Time had suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl, so he wasn't sure how long it was before Max appeared at the tape, ducking under it and heading straight for Steve, Chin and Kono.

"Commander," he said, almost, but not quite, bowing. His voice was grave, but then his voice was often grave, so Steve tried not to read too much into that. "I have finished my preliminary findings on the bodies inside. I am sorry to say that they appear to be Mr. and Mrs. Edwards and Detective Williams."

"You're wrong," Steve said.

"Commander, I know it is hard--"

"No, you're wrong. It's not him."

Max reached into his pocket and pulled out an evidence bag, holding it up. "These effects were found on one of the bodies."

Steve looked at the twisted, melted metal and plastic in the bag, staring at it for a moment before his brain processed them into what used to be a St. Michael medallion and keys. Danny's keys--he recognized the boat anchor keychain he'd bought for Danny as a joke months before. "So he dropped them when he was there. That's perfectly--"

"Commander, I took them from his pocket."

Steve swallowed hard. He could see little pieces of fabric that looked like they'd been fused to the metal by the blast. "Still doesn't mean it was him. You couldn't ID him, right?"

"A physical ID is unlikely--the blast was too--"

"Max."

Chin's one word was enough to stop Max from going any further into that detail, and Steve shot Chin a look. He needed to know. "Tell me," Steve ground out.

Max glanced at Chin, then looked back at Steve. "The bodies are too damaged to give you a positive ID until we test the DNA," he said. "However, based on the findings, I am inclined to believe that things are exactly as they seem. I wish I could say otherwise, but I cannot."

Steve sniffed. "Okay," he said, nodding. "Okay."

He turned and headed towards his truck, only noticing Kono when she grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Grace is going to be expecting someone to pick her up soon," he said. "Who else is going to do it?"

"I'll come with you."

He shook his head. "No. I need to do this." He saw her hesitation. "I'm fine, Kono."

"Steve--"

"Okay, I'm not fine, but I'm okay. I can put it aside and deal with what needs to be done first. It's my job."

She studied him for a moment before letting go of his arm. "Let us know what you need, okay?"

Steve hesitated as he got into the truck. "Can you call Danny's parents?" he asked. He knew he should do it, but all he could think of was Grace, and he didn't want them to find out from anyone outside their team. He'd call them personally later.

"Sure. I can get their number out of the database and call them as soon as you leave."

"Thanks."

Kono nodded. "Let us know if you need anything else."

"I will. Thanks."

***


	2. Chapter 2

Danny was dead.

Steve kept repeating the words over and over again in his head, but it didn't make any more sense than it had the first time. Danny wasn't supposed to die. Steve spent every day doing his best to make sure if either one of them had to go, it was him. Because Steve didn't have anyone depending on him. And Danny had Grace.

Only now Grace had no one.

Except Steve.

He couldn't think about anything else now. He couldn't think about Danny being gone. He had to think about Grace, and deal with everything else later.

He pulled up to the front door of the school and got out of the truck. He wasn't used to the outside of the school being so quiet. The few times he'd been here had been Grace was on her way in or out, along with all the other students.

Only once had he ever been here without Danny.

Steve shut that thought out as he hurried up the stairs and into the school. Only when he got into the office did he realize he had no clue what to do.

"Can I help you?"

The secretary was waiting expectantly, and Steve didn't know what to say. "Uh...I'm here about Grace Williams."

She looked at him suspiciously for a moment, her hand reaching for the phone, before her face cleared. "Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes?"

"I thought I recognized you. Didn't make the connection until I put it together with Detective Williams." She frowned. "He's not injured, is he?"

Steve ignored the tiny little seize in his heart. "He's, um...there's been an accident," he said, not wanting to say anything else. "I need to pick up Grace, but, I'm...I'm not sure what to tell her."

"Of course." She stood, coming around the desk. "The school counselor may be able to help."

She led him down the hall and knocked quietly on a door, poking her head in and saying a few words he couldn't hear before opening the door fully. "Commander," she said, ushering him inside, "this is Ms. Kamaka, our school counselor."

"Thank you." When she was gone and the door was closed, Ms. Kamaka offered Steve a seat. "I'm fine, thank you."

Kamaka eyed him thoughtfully. She reminded him of his second grade teacher, Mrs. Takura, dark hair swept back in a professional bun, her brown eyes kind. "Ailani said that Detective Williams had been in an accident?" she prompted.

"Not...exactly."

"Is he hurt?"

He had to say the words eventually, and if he couldn't say them to her, he'd never be able to get them out to Grace. "He's dead," Steve said, staring at the nameplate on her desk. "Danny's dead."

She was professional, he'd give her that. She blinked a few times and sat back, but that was her only reaction. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said.

His "Thank you," was as automatic as his nod. "There's more," he said, taking a deep breath. "Stan and Rachel Edwards are dead as well."

Even her professionalism couldn't quite cope with all of that. "That's, um...that's a shock."

He knew his laughter was the wrong response, but he couldn't help it. "That's putting it mildly."

At least she didn't look scandalized. Maybe she was used to dealing with odd responses to terrible things. "Commander, maybe you should sit down."

Come to think of it, the chair looked comfortable. He dropped down into it, resting his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands for a moment. A little voice he hadn't noticed at the very back of his head was chanting 'Danny's dead' on repeat, and he wanted to send an army to kill it, but it wouldn't stop.

"Commander?"

Kamaka's voice was sharp, and Steve's head snapped up, as if he was responding to a commanding officer. "Sorry, what?"

"Would you like some water?"

He shook his head, ignoring some lingering nausea at the motion. "I'm fine, thank you." He took a deep breath. "I just...I don't know what to tell Grace."

"You tell her the truth," she said softly. "And then you help her deal with it. Does she have any other family?"

"I, uh..." Steve rubbed at his face. "Danny's family is in New Jersey. I know Rachel has a mother in England. But that's all I know."

"Then it's best that it comes from you, since there's no other family on the island, and you can't wait."

He nodded. "I just don't know what to say. I mean, I do this all the time for other people, but...." He looked at Kamaka. "I don't know how to tell her."

"Tell her the same way you would tell any family member a loved one isn't coming home."

Easier said than done. He thought back, tried to remember how his father had told him about his mother. Except, his father hadn't really had to tell him. He'd known the second he'd opened the door and seen the cop.

"Would you prefer to do it here?" Kamaka asked. "Perhaps I can help if there's a problem."

"That would be...I think that would be good." He didn't want her to have the memory of learning about her parents' death at his house or at HQ. He wanted those places to hold better memories for her. No one should have to have random memories of learning that when opening their own front door.

He should know.

"Let me just get her from class."

"Wait." He realized he had no real authority here, as he wasn't a parent. "I can take her home, right? I mean, I'm not her father."

"Commander, you're her emergency contact if we can't reach her parents," she said, sounding surprised that he was asking. "There's paperwork that you're authorized to do whatever is necessary in the event they're unavailable. So yes," she finished softly, "you can take her home."

Kamaka left, and Steve sat in the chair, letting his mind drift, careful to steer it away from any real thoughts. He needed a clear head to talk to Grace about this. He could deal with his own thoughts later.

When the door opened behind him, he took a deep breath and stood, turning around to face Grace, who was blinking up at him, Kamaka standing behind her, closing the door.

"Uncle Steve...." Grace said, as Steve knelt down in front of her. "Where's Danno?"

"Gracie...."

He didn't have time to form the words before tears started welling up in her eyes. "Where's Mom?" she asked, her lower lip trembling, and it took every ounce of training and will Steve had not to cry at that face.

"Grace, I'm sorry. There was an accident. Your mom, Stan...Danno...."

He didn't say anymore, as she launched herself into his arms. He held her tightly, as if it could keep her sobs from tearing her apart, but he knew it couldn't. She was tearing herself apart inside, and only time could fix it.

Assuming it could even be fixed.

***

"So what do you want for dinner?" Steve asked as they neared his house.

Grace hadn't said a word since they'd left the school. Kamaka had asked her a few questions that she'd answered with as few words as possible. Did she understand what happened? Yes. Though Steve knew she didn't. No one did at first. It took time for the brain to really grasp the permanence at any age, but especially for someone so young.

He should know. And he'd been several years older than Grace's ten.

"Grace?" he said. "Dinner?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Me either," Steve said truthfully. "But we need to eat something."

She sighed and slumped further into her seat. "I don't care," she said.

He assumed she meant what they eat, judging by her tone. "How about McDonald's?" Not normally what he'd feed anyone, but he thought it might be his only shot at getting her to eat anything.

She didn't reply, so he went through a drive thru and got her chicken nuggets, which he knew she loved.

Once they were seated on the lanai, he even managed to get her to eat a couple of them and some french fries before she declared herself full.

"Me, too," he said, pushing away his half-eaten salad.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Grace asked, "Do I have to go to school tomorrow?"

"Do you want to?"

"No."

"Then no. We can stay home."

"Thanks." A frown marred her forehead. "Am I staying here?"

Steve nodded. "For now." He wasn't sure what would happen once everything was sorted out. The thought of Grace going away, of not getting to see her grow up, not being able to protect her, was more than he wanted to contemplate right now.

She watched him for a moment. "Did you see it?"

He didn't bother pretending he didn't know what she meant. "No. I wasn't there."

"That's good."

No, if he'd been there he might've been able to prevent it. ""Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Maybe tomorrow," she said. "Can we watch a movie?"

"Sure. Go pick one." She knew how to work Netflix better than he did. "I'm just going to clean up."

He took their trash into the kitchen and took out his phone to call Kono. She filled him in on what they knew about the explosion--precious little as it turned out. Nothing stood out about the device at first glance, and they didn't have any good forensics yet, but they were still processing the scene.

"How's Grace?" Kono asked.

"Okay, considering," Steve said. "I don't think it's really sunk in."

She made a sympathetic noise. "Can we do anything for you guys?"

"Would you mind going by--" he couldn't say 'Danny's' he found--"their place and getting her some clothes? I don't want to take her there yet."

Or himself, which he figured Kono suspected, but she only said, "Sure. I'll get her some things and bring them over. There's a spare key here for the dog walker."

Steve grimaced. "Dammit. I'd forgotten about the dog. Can you bring him?"

"No problem."

"Thanks, Kono."

"Anything you need, brah. I'll be there in a few."

He hung up and joined Grace as 101 Dalmatians started. "Kono's bringing you some clothes and bringing Buddy over," he told her.

She gave him a faint smile, but her eyes stayed on the TV as he sat down beside her on the couch. They were about ten minutes in when he felt her head rest on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, and she leaned into him, watching the movie.

When Kono knocked a little later, Steve looked down at Grace, who was heavy against him, but still awake. "Be right back," he said, getting up.

Kono stepped inside the door, holding up a pink back pack, Buddy on a leash right behind her. She gave Steve a smile that didn't hide the fact that she was studying his face carefully. "How are you?" she asked quietly.

He thought about the answer for a moment before replying honestly. "Numb."

She nodded. "I brought food for Buddy, and enough clothes for Grace for a couple of days," she said, her voice a whisper. "I can go back and get more, including a dress for...."

 _The funerals._ "Thanks," he said. "Come say hi to Grace while I feed the dog."

Kono walked over to the couch. "Hey, Grace."

Grace looked up at her. "Hello."

Steve left them talking while he took Buddy into the kitchen. He didn't need the food Kono had brought just yet--there was still some from the last time Danny had stayed over with the dog. He found the bowl in the pantry with the food and poured food in it, putting it on the floor and scratching the dog's neck as he bent over to eat.

He went back into the living room to see Kono giving Grace a hug and standing up. "You call me if you need me, okay?"

"Okay."

He saw the barest hint of a smile flash across Grace's face, gone almost before it could register. Kono brushed her hand over Grace's head, then moved away, meeting Steve near the door. "You're staying here with her tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

Steve nodded. "Keep me in the loop on the case?"

"We will. Feel like company for dinner tomorrow? Chin and I could come over."

He nodded again. "We'd like that."

"Okay." She gave him a hug. "Call us if you need anything?"

"Yeah. Call me if you find out anything."

"Will do."

She slipped out the front door, and Steve went back to the couch to sit down next to Grace, who immediately curled back into his side, burrowing under his arm without even looking up.

 _They put her in my arms,_ Steve remembered Danny saying once, talking about the day Grace was born, _and it was like this...feeling. Impossible to explain it, but you'd know it anywhere._

It wasn't quite the same, he knew, but he finally understood a little of what Danny had been talking about.

***

Steve blinked his eyes open against the sunlight, stretching against a heavy weight on his lap. He looked down to see Grace curled up on the couch, half her body in his lap, her feet tucked up beside him. Buddy was asleep at his feet.

A glance at his watch showed that it was almost 7. They must've fallen asleep on the couch somewhere in the middle of the fourth or fifth Disney princess--he'd lost count. Some job he was doing taking care of Grace--first night and he'd let her sleep on the couch without a bath or brushing her teeth or anything.

She stirred, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, giving Steve a confused look. "Uncle Steve?" she said, frowning. "What--"

He saw it hit her, and she stopped, her lower lip jutting out a little, her eyes looking watery. She didn't cry, though, just sat up straighter. "Can I have some breakfast?"

"Of course." He put his hand on her shoulder. "How about you go brush your teeth first? Maybe take a shower?"

She nodded and he took her and her backpack upstairs to the room she'd used a few times when staying there with Danny. She had a toothbrush in the guest bath, so he walked her down there and gave her a towel and washcloth. "I'll be downstairs when you're done, okay?"

"Okay."

He closed the door and went back down to the living room. He could just see the bathroom door from the couch, so he'd know if Grace came out of the room. His phone battery was low, so he plugged it in before calling Chin.

"Hey, how's Grace?" Chin answered, sounding as if he hadn't gotten much sleep.

"About as well as can be expected," Steve said. "She's in the shower."

"How are you?"

Steve huffed. "About as well as can be expected?" he said. "Do we have anything new on the case?"

"Security company that protected Stan and Rachel's home had footage on their servers from yesterday," Chin said.

There was more, Steve could tell, but Chin seemed hesitant to go further. "And?"

"The footage showed Danny going into the house a couple of minutes before the explosion. But there was no sign of whoever set the bomb."

Steve swallowed against the dryness in his throat. "Were there no other cameras?"

"There were four, but two of them malfunctioned."

"That's...an interesting coincidence."

"We thought so, too. Unfortunately, the cameras were too damaged to see if anyone tampered with them."

Steve closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. "Chin...."

"I know, bruddah," Chin said softly. "We'll find the guy who did this."

Steve blinked against wetness in his eyes, rubbing at them with his fingers for a second. "I know. It's just...."

"Hey, if anybody understands, it's me. When Malia was killed...."

Steve nodded, not even questioning the comparison. "I know."

"Then you know we're not going to stop until we solve this."

"I do." And yet solving it, bringing the person responsible to justice, even killing them...it wouldn't make a difference.

None of it would bring Danny back.

"Steve?"

"Yeah, sorry." He rubbed his face. He should get a shower, too, but he didn't want to leave Grace alone for too long in case she got upset. He had wanted nothing but to be alone for a while after his mother's 'death,' but he had been a teenage boy. And he hadn't lost both his parents. At least not at that point. "Just a little out of it."

"I get it. Still want Kono and me to come over later?"

Steve heard the water shut of in the bathroom. "Yeah. That'd be good. Thanks."

"Sure. Need us to bring anything?"

"Um..." Steve tried to think what he had in the house. Then again, maybe it'd be good for him and Grace to go to the store. "I'll let you know. Meanwhile, let me know if you get any breaks in the case?"

"We will."

He saw Grace coming out of the bathroom and along the landing. "Thanks, Chin."

"Of course."

Steve hung up and put his phone on the table, letting it charge. "All clean?" he asked Grace.

"Yeah." She came slowly down the stairs. "I left my stuff in the bathroom."

"Okay. I'll take care of it later."

"Thanks."

She stood there for a few seconds, like she wasn't quite sure what to do. "Hey," Steve said, "you want to go out and get breakfast and go shopping for some more food?"

She thought about it, then nodded. "Can we get pancakes?"

It made him think of Danny, but he pushed it aside and focused on Grace. "We can. Can you watch TV for a few minutes while I take a quick shower, and then we'll go?"

She nodded again and sat down on the couch, reaching for the remote. He heard the tell-tale sound of the Disney intro as he took the steps two at a time.

***


	3. Chapter 3

Steve was putting groceries away when his cell phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but the New Jersey area code made pause for a second before he answered. "Hello?"

"Commander McGarrett?"

The woman's voice was vaguely familiar. "Yes?"

"It's Alice Williams. Danny's mother."

He'd spoken to her just for a sentence or two a couple of times, not enough to remember her voice off the bat, but enough that he recognized it now. "Oh, uh, hi, Mrs. Williams."

"I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's no bother," Steve said softly, putting the last can away and leaning against the island. "I'm so sorry for your loss," he said quietly, realizing he should've called Danny's family yesterday. "I was planning to call you. Is there anything I can do?"

"We're not the only ones who lost someone, dear," she said, her voice kind. "I'm sorry for your loss as well."

Which...well, Danny was family. "Thank you."

"I understand Grace is staying with you?"

"She is. Would you like to talk with her?"

"In a moment. First I wanted to ask you about having a service for Danny down there."

Steve frowned, shifting the phone to his other ear. "A service?"

"A funeral service. We thought his friends might like to say goodbye before he's..." he heard her take a deep, shaky breath, "before he's brought back home."

"That's very sweet of you," Steve said, gripping the phone a little more tightly. "I could arrange something if you'd like."

"Would you? We've contacted a funeral home there, but we're not there to handle the arrangements."

As if he wouldn't do a million more things for Danny and his family. "Of course."

"We'd be happy to pay--"

"No, I'll pay for it," Steve said. "Thank you for thinking of it."

Her soft half-laugh reminded him of the noise Danny made whenever Steve complimented him on something, and his stomach jumped a little at the sound. "Danny talked about you, you know," she said, sounding both fond and amused. "He hated Hawaii until you came along."

"He still hated Hawaii after I came along."

"No, he didn't." She made that sound again, and Steve closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. "He put on a good show about it, but I could tell when he was serious and when he was all bluster, and that was Danny's bluster, believe me. He loved it there."

"Despite the water, and the sun, and the sand, and the pineapple and falling coconuts--"

"I see you have many of his greatest hits memorized," she said, and he could hear laughter in her voice. "He did like to go on about that," she said, the laughter fading, but the fondness still there--another way she reminded him of Danny. "But he also went on about all the good he was able to do there, and about dinners and friends and surfing...it was the happiest he'd been since right after Grace was born."

Steve swallowed the emotions threatening to burst out of him. "Thank you," he managed, his throat tight.

"Thank you for giving him that."

He wasn't sure she should be thanking him, considering how it had ended up. "It was my pleasure, believe me."

She sniffed loudly, and he wondered if she was crying. "I'll text you the information on the funeral home. You'll let me know about the service there?" she said.

"I will. And thank you again. Would you like to talk to Grace?"

"Yes, please, thank you."

He went into the living room, where Grace was watching TV, and told her who it was. He watched as Grace talked to her grandmother, happy to see her looking a little more expressive at least for a few minutes.

She'd been so quiet while they were shopping, only speaking when he asked her something directly. He knew she was working things out--Danny had just told him a couple of weeks ago how she'd started doing that, saying very little until she had something all figured out in her head. He'd said it was a sign that she was growing up, but he hoped she didn't do it too fast.

Now she had no choice.

She hung up the phone and held it out for Steve, who put it back in his pocket before sitting down beside her. He'd forgotten to even ask Danny's mother if she knew where Grace would be staying permanently.

But since he wasn't eager to give her up, he'd wait until someone told him he had to.

"So what do you want to do this afternoon?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment. "Can we go swimming?"

"Sure. I think Kono brought you a suit. Let's go see."

He stood, but before he could start towards the stairs, he felt her hand grab his. He looked down to see her looking up at him trustingly, waiting for him to lead her through this.

He could barely figure out how to get through it himself.

But he'd have to. Because she was counting on him. Danny was counting on him. And he'd failed Danny once. He wasn't doing it again.

"Let's go."

***

They played in the ocean for a while, Buddy running in and out of the surf and barking happily, and Steve treasured every laugh and smile he managed to coax out of Grace. He envied her resilience. He knew it wouldn't last, that it would hit her eventually, but it helped to see her happy even for a few minutes.

When they went back inside, Steve sent Grace to take a shower, waiting until the water was running to call the funeral home. They said they'd already been in touch with the morgue about the body--Steve tried hard to think about it in those terms, since it made this easier--and he was welcome to come down the following morning and settle on arrangements.

He agreed to come in first thing and hung up as Grace came down from the shower. "Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono will be here soon," he said. "Pick something to watch while I go take a quick shower?"

She nodded, giving him a small smile as he hurried towards the stairs.

***

Despite Steve's insistence that they didn't need anything except more clothes for Grace, Chin and Kono also showed up with bags of food. "Oh, like you know what a kid needs to eat," Kono teased when Steve protested.

"Danny always said he had to search to find anything not made out of cardboard in your cabinets," Chin said, as he and Kono were helping him put things away.

"He hid stuff in there, you know," Kono said. "Said he'd starve to death when he stayed over otherwise."

Steve blinked at her. "He did?" He'd never found any of it. Then again, if Danny really wanted to keep something hidden, he was very good at it. "I'm going to have to search all my cabinets now, aren't I?"

"Good luck finding the stuff even then," Chin said.

Kono put the last bag of chips away and turned, leaning against the counter. "How's Grace?"

"Okay, considering," Steve said. "Danny's mom called today. She wanted me to arrange a service here before he...." He took a deep breath, unable to say it. "So I'm going to the funeral home first thing in the morning."

"You want either of us to come with you?" Kono asked.

Steve shook his head. "No, but could one of you come watch Grace while I go?"

"I'd be happy to," Kono said. "She's due for another surfing lesson anyway."

"She'd like that," Steve said, smiling at the thought. It would distract her while he was gone.

"So is Grace going to New Jersey when this is all over?"

Steve shrugged. "I meant to ask Danny's mom on the phone earlier, but I didn't get a chance. I don't know what arrangements Danny and Rachel made. The school had papers that give me temporary guardianship, I think, but...I don't know long term."

He saw the look Kono and Chin exchanged, but couldn't interpret it. Didn't want to. "Maybe you should call Danny's lawyer Monday?"

"Yeah." He looked back towards the living room, where Grace was watching TV. "I hate the thought of her leaving," he said, almost to himself.

He felt Kono's hand on his shoulder. "Don't think about it," she said. "Maybe it'll work out."

He wasn't sure how--it wasn't as if whatever set of grandparents were lucky enough to get Grace were going to move to Hawaii. He hoped it was Danny's parents, though. He'd fly to New Jersey just to visit her if she went there. He had a feeling if she ended up in England, he'd never see her again.

"Okay," Chin said. "If we're planning to eat, we'd better start making some food."

They grilled on the lanai, and it was almost normal. Steve could almost forget what had happened, until he turned to say something to Danny, or to ask him a question, and remembered he wasn't there. Wouldn't be there ever again.

Kono and Chin left after the sun went down, Kono promising to return early so Steve could go to the funeral home. Grace was rubbing her eyes tiredly as she helped Steve cleaned up the mess.

"Tired?" he asked her, as he put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.

"No." She immediately broke into a yawn so wide he thought he could see her tonsils. "Can we watch another movie?"

"I think you need to get some sleep."

She frowned, folding her arms over her chest, her lower lip continuing to slide out until it was a definite pout. "I'm not sleepy."

Another yawn proved her wrong. "I can see how not sleepy you are by the way you're yawning."

"That wasn't a yawn. I was just stretching my face."

She'd definitely gotten that from Danny. Steve hid a smile, schooling his face to look as stern as possible. "We both need sleep, Gracie," he said, squatting down to look her in the eye. "We have a lot to do this weekend."

Her lower lip trembled, and his resolve wavered. "Can't we just fall asleep on the couch watching TV?"

"Are you worried about being alone?" At her nod, he said, "I'll stay with you until you're asleep, okay?"

"Can we watch TV? I'll sleep better."

Like father, like daughter. "There's no TV in there. I'll put the computer in your room with a movie on, with that work?"

She nodded. "Thanks, Uncle Steve."

"Of course," he said, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "Now come on, let's go get ready for bed."

***

Kono arrived bright and early, while Grace was still asleep. "I won't be gone long," Steve whispered. Grace had taken ages to fall asleep, and he didn't want her to wake until she'd had some real rest. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." She gave him a hug. "That's what family's for, brah."

He gave her a smile and headed out the door. He'd just gotten into the car when his phone rang, this time with a local number he didn't know. "McGarrett," he answered.

"Commander McGarrett, this is Lenora Wallingford, Rachel Edwards' mother."

"Hello, Mrs. Wallingford," he said haltingly. "What can I do for you?"

"I just arrived in Hawaii last night," she said, "and I'd like to see Grace."

As long as she didn't want to take her back to England. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"I've scheduled a small service for Rachel and Stanley this afternoon before I take Rachel back to England."

She wasn't being buried with her husband? "That's...sudden."

"I thought it best."

"Grace is asleep right now. If you'll let me know when and where the service is, I'll bring her. We could have dinner after, if you'd like."

"That would be lovely," she said, as if they were having a tea party, instead of discussing her daughter's funeral. "Thank you."

She gave him the information and hung up just as he reached the funeral home. The funeral director was very helpful, kind and comforting in a way that wasn't cloying. Steve had met people with that skill throughout his career, but he appreciated it today more than ever.

When Steve had picked out everything and arranged for a small service in the funeral home chapel the following afternoon, he headed back home. He could hear crying before he even walked through the front door.

He'd barely gotten the door closed before Grace threw herself into his arms. "What's wrong?" he asked, holding her tight.

"She woke up and you weren't here," Kono said. "She didn't know where you were, and she wouldn't believe me when I said you'd be back soon."

He should've thought about that, he realized. He'd woken up with the fear his father wouldn't be there every day for months after his mother's supposed death. "It's okay, Gracie," he said, closing his eyes, holding her head with his hand and speaking into her ear. "I'm not going anywhere."

She sniffed, pulling back enough to look him in the eye. "You won't leave?"

"I have to go places," he said evenly. "But I'll come back. I promise."

He knew it wasn't a promise he should really make, but he couldn't say anything else, not with that terrified look on her face. And he'd do everything in his power to make sure he kept it.

***


	4. Chapter 4

Grace didn't want to let Steve out of her sight the rest of the day. Kono helped her change for the funeral, but Steve stayed within earshot of her room so when she called his name, he was able to answer.

Kono rode with them to the service, and Chin met them just inside the front doors of the funeral home. Steve had never seen a picture of Rachel's parents, but he'd have picked Rachel's mother out of the crowd, even if Grace hadn't pointed her out as they walked into the chapel. She looked like an older version of Rachel, but without the kindness in her smile, her mouth and eyes a bit too tight, too hard.

Then again, it was her daughter's funeral.

Grace said hi to her grandmother, but she made no move to let go of Steve's hand or to give her a hug. Rachel's mother seemed overly formal with her own granddaughter, and Steve wondered how many times she'd seen Grace, and how much time she spent around kids in general.

She asked Grace if she wanted to sit with her, but Grace shook her head. Her "No, thank you," was calm and polite, but her grip tightened on Steve's hand until he started to wonder if he'd need a crow bar to get his hand back later.

The funeral director came over to get Rachel's mother and Grace, and, when Grace refused to let go, Steve, to take them to a side room to await the start of the funeral. Chin and Kono nodded at him, and he knew they'd find him after the service.

He felt odd, alone in a room with Grace, Rachel's mother and two people he assumed were Stan's parents. Grace had a death grip on his hand, though, and he wasn't deserting her, no matter what anyone else thought.

He felt a light touch on his arm and turned to see a woman in a smart suit, her dark hair up in a bun. "Excuse me, sir, are you the deceased's..."

"No relation," Steve said. "I'm--" Well, he might as well use the word as long as he had it, "guardian of Rachel's daughter."

Her face cleared. "You're Commander McGarrett, right?" At his nod she continued. "So sorry about--" she glanced down at Grace, then looked back at him, "your loss. And the loss to the community."

"Thank you."

"We're going to go in in just a moment. We'll want you to take Grace in right behind Mrs. Wallingford and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards will go behind you. Okay?"

"Yes, thank you." She wandered off to let the others know. Steve knelt down next to Grace. "You ready for this?"

She nodded, her face pale and her eyes wide. "Will I see Mommy?" she asked quietly.

"No, it's...it's closed." He didn't know how to explain quite why, and hoped she didn't ask.

"Good." Her eyes got watery. "I don't want to. Not...like...not in there."

"I know." And he did, remembered it all too well. He gave her a hug, looking around, spotting a box of tissues on a nearby side table. "Here." He let her go long enough to grab the tissues and then he was back, wiping her eyes. "When my mom died, I was glad I didn't have to see her, too. It...it wasn't how I wanted to remember her."

Grace sniffed, and nodded again. "Will we have to see Danno?"

Steve shook his head. "Nope. Same thing tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Commander?"

He looked up to see the funeral director standing over them with a small smile. "Right. Time to do this," he said to Grace, giving her one more hug before he straightened and took her hand, keeping the box of tissues in his other hand.

They followed Rachel's mother into the chapel. Steve saw Chin and Kono had taken a seat in the second row and he was thankful when the funeral director directed him to sit in the row just in front of them.

The service was short, the minister talking about the great love Rachel and Stan shared, conveniently skipping over the parts where she'd cheated on him, and expressed his sympathy for the parents and for Grace and Charlie.

When it was over, he and Grace followed Rachel's mother out. Steve had a moment to talk with Stan's parents outside the chapel, to express his condolences and ask after Charlie, who they were taking care of. He'd been left with a babysitter while they came to the funeral, but he was doing fine, since he was far too young to realize what was going on.

He wasn't sure which was worse, to have no memories of your parents, or to remember the pain of losing them.

But remembering the good times with his parents, he realized he wouldn't trade those for anything. He'd have to keep that in mind when Grace needed to hear it.

Dinner with Rachel's mother was quiet. She didn't invite him to call her anything but Mrs. Wallingford and he didn't invite her not to call him Commander. She talked to Grace about England and cousins that Grace had never heard of, and Steve thought if she was planning to take Grace to live there, she had better be planning a fight.

He might not get to keep Grace, but he sure as hell wasn't letting her go live with this woman. How Rachel had turned out as well as she had was beyond him.

Grace was falling asleep over her ice cream when Steve excused them both. He invited her to Danny's funeral the next day, knowing full well she had a flight and couldn't make it, and that she wouldn't have come anyway.

Grace did give her a hug before they left, a quick, loose one, before she latched onto Steve's hand again as he led her out to his truck. She was buckled in, staring at the road ahead when he pulled out of the parking lot. "You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded, still staring at the road. "Do I have to go to England with her?" she asked after a mile or so.

He wanted to tell her no, that she didn't have to go anywhere, but he couldn't lie to her outright, no matter how much he wanted to protect her. Sometimes you had to go where people sent you when you were too young to have a say. "I don't know," he said. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you don't."

"I don't want to go anywhere," she said, and he could hear the struggle not to cry in her voice. "I want to stay here."

"I know. I promise I'll do everything I can to see that you do."

She sniffed, but she didn't say anything else the rest of the ride home. Once there, she was relatively quiet until bedtime, when she didn't want to go up to bed. "We need sleep," Steve said.

"I don't want you to go," she said, clinging to his arm as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"I'll be just down the hall in my room, Grace." Tears started to fill her eyes, and he sat down beside her on the bed. "How about this. I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep. If you wake up and need me, you can come down the hall, okay?"

She sniffed, a long, watery sound. "Okay."

She let him tuck her in, and he brushed her hair back, giving her a kiss on the forehead. When he moved to take the chair beside the bed, though, she grabbed his arm. "Stay."

"Okay." He situated himself on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and leaving her hand in his, listening to her breath so he'd know when she was asleep.

***

He woke to sunlight streaming in her windows, his back and neck sore from sleeping sitting up against the headboard. Grace was still sound asleep, her hand still in his, probably as cramped as his was.

Steve stretched, wincing as various joints popped in protest. The movement woke Grace, who blinked up sleepily, looking confused until her memory kicked in, and confused turned into a combination of blank and sad. "Thanks for staying," she said.

"No problem." Steve yawned, stretching a little more. "I still remember right after my mother died," he said slowly, "I didn't want my father to go anywhere. I was afraid he wouldn't come back."

"Did he?"

Steve nodded. "Always. For years and years."

"Where is he now?"

"He died a couple of years ago," Steve said.

She thought about that for a second. "So he didn't always come back."

"He did when I needed him." Steve smiled, thinking about how his father had saved him from beyond the grave when he'd been accused of shooting the governor. And of what had happened after Stoner had been killed trying to take out Steve from a rooftop. "And even since he died, he's come back a couple of times when I needed him."

Her eyes got huge. "He came back?"

"Not exactly--he wasn't here. But he was there for me." He screwed up his face and looked at her. "Does that make sense?"

"Like an angel?"

"Something like that, yeah." He ruffled her hair. "We need to get up. Breakfast time." And then they had to go say goodbye to Danny.

But he wasn't thinking about that just yet.

He sent her into the bathroom with her dress and went to take a quick shower himself. He was downstairs before she was out of the bathroom. Kono had texted him that she and Chin would meet them at the funeral home. She also mentioned there were no leads on the case, which somehow made what they were about to do even harder.

How was he supposed to say goodbye to Danny when he hadn't solved his murder yet?

Grace came downstairs, managing to look adorable, even in a plain black dress he suspected Kono had bought for her. He'd found the plastic that held a price tag still in the seam when he'd pulled the dress out.

"Ready to go?" Steve asked.

She shook her head. "No. I don't want to."

It was said with more resignation than petulance. "I know," he replied, kneeling down beside her. "But we have to say goodbye."

"I don't want to say goodbye."

"Me neither," Steve said. "But it's not really goodbye. He's still with you, remember?"

She frowned. "If he's still with me, why do I have to go say goodbye?"

Trust Danny's daughter to come up with that one. "Because it's like when someone goes away for a really long time. You know they're still out there, but you say goodbye because you don't know when you'll see them again."

"Like the going away party Grandma and Grandpa had when we moved to Hawaii?"

"Something like that."

"So will I see Danno again?"

He wasn't sure what Rachel had believed or told Grace, but he knew the views Danny had expressed on numerous occasions. He also knew Danny wasn't nearly as sure as he'd tried to claim. No one who carried a St. Michael's medal or ranted to God the way Danny did could be so certain God didn't exist.

And if it was just something Steve needed to believe, so be it.

"I think so," Steve said truthfully. "A long time from now, but I like to think we'll see him again in a different place."

"You mean Heaven?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," she said after a long moment.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "So, ready to go now?"

"I think so."

He took her hand and stood, leading her out to the truck. Kono and Chin were waiting by the doors at the funeral home with hugs for both of them.

Try as he might, the funeral itself was hard for Steve to remember after it was over. He knew that a minister Danny would've hated droned on. He could almost hear Danny's sarcastic comments about Heaven and afterlives in his head, but it didn't matter, because the funeral wasn't for Danny. It was for all the people he'd left behind.

He remembered handing Grace tissues whenever she needed them, shoving the used ones in his pocket without thinking about it. And he remembered her hand in his, holding tightly. He just wasn't sure which one of them was anchoring the other.

Maybe it went both ways.

He accepted condolences from various members of HPD, his mind shifting back to Meka's funeral a few years before, when he and Danny had done the same for Amy. He didn't question the way they all treated him much the same as they had Amy, and that no one was surprised Grace was with him. He just held onto her hand, nodded, and said what he assumed were all the right things, without remembering much of anything.

Until the lawyer.

"Commander McGarrett," the man said. "I'm Noa Kealoha, Danny's lawyer."

Steve blinked, even as he vaguely recognized the man from Grace's custody hearing. "Nice of you to come," Steve said, shaking his hand.

Kealoha nodded. "I wanted to pay my respects," he said. "Danny was a good man. In all my years in family law, I've rarely seen a man fight for his daughter the way he did."

"That's Danny." Or it was. "Thank you."

"I was also hoping to catch you here. I was wondering if you could stop by my office tomorrow?"

Steve frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"No, just some paperwork we need to go over."

Paperwork? "Sure," Steve said, assuming the man was speaking in code because of Grace. "Ten a.m. work?"

Kealoha nodded. "Thank you." He leaned a little to smile down at Grace. "I'm very sorry for your loss," he said. "Your dad loved you very much."

"Thank you," Grace said primly.

He straightened, looking at Steve once more. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Steve nodded, watching him leave, wondering what kind of paperwork he'd be facing the next day.

He put it out of his mind, focusing on Grace. Chin and Kono came over to the house for dinner again, helping him distract her until it was bedtime. They left with hugs for Grace and solid, reassuring looks and touches for Steve as he promised to see them tomorrow.

Danny's funeral was over. Now it was time to get the son of a bitch who'd killed him.

He stayed with Grace until she fell asleep again, but managed to make it back to his own room. She had to start adjusting sometime. He left lights on in case she woke up and needed him, though, and somewhere near dawn he awoke to find her in bed beside him, on top of the bedspread, but wrapped in a blanket Kono had brought her from Danny's.

Shit, he'd have to go over there and deal with Danny's stuff sometime.

He put it out of his mind, turning onto his side to face Grace and tried to go back to sleep, but no luck. He just laid there and watched her sleep as the sun slowly climbed into the sky.

***


	5. Chapter 5

She didn't want to go to school.

Not that Steve hadn't expected it. He hadn't wanted to go to school either. If he'd had his way, he'd have never let his father out of his sight. But he had gone, and so would she.

"Grace," Steve said, as he made her breakfast, after he'd finally managed to get her into her uniform, "I will be there to pick you up when school's out, I promise." He'd be there half an hour early, just to make sure he was the first thing she saw when she came out of the building.

"What if something happens?"

"Nothing's going to happen." Which might not be true, but he didn't care if terrorists threatened to blow up Oahu. He would be there to pick her up, and someone else would deal with them until he was done.

Some things were more important than the entire island.

She looked at him until he was worried she was about to protest again. "Fine," she said, and there was some of that childhood petulance he'd been waiting to hear creep back into her voice. Normally it would be frustrating, but right now it was the first sign that she was going to be okay. "You'd better be there."

"I will."

He walked her all the way to the doors of the school, and she hugged him extra tight before going into the building on her own. He had to stop himself from following her, only just then realizing how much she'd helped him make it through the past few days.

But she had to start standing on her own, and so did he.

He went by HQ, where Kono and Chin caught him up on what they knew, which wasn't much. Fong had managed to chase down one of the parts used in the bomb, and they were tracing that to see if they could find the supplier, but that was the whole sum of their leads. It was as if the bomb was planted by a ghost.

No crime was perfect, though. They just had to keep at it.

Steve checked his watch. "I've got to go," he said. "Danny's lawyer wants to see me."

Chin and Kono wore matching frowns. "Lawyer?" Chin asked. "Why?"

"Something about paperwork. I don't know. Text me if you get anything else?"

They nodded in unison, and Steve hurried out the door. The lawyer was only a few blocks away on Bishop and King, so he walked, a little amazed at how people just wandered by him as if the world was exactly the same as it had always been. As if nothing had changed.

The whole world had changed. They just didn't see it.

A secretary ushered him to Kealoha's office immediately. The lawyer shook Steve's hand before taking a seat behind his desk, waving his hand to indicate Steve should take one of the seats on the other side.

"You said there was some paperwork to go over?"

"Yes, just a few items. You'll need to sign the formal guardianship papers for Grace--"

"Wait, what?" Steve leaned forward, sure he'd heard wrong. "Formal guardianship? Doesn't that have to be decided or something?"

Kealoha's eyebrows drew together. "Didn't Danny tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"When the new custody papers were drawn up, he and Mrs. Edwards agreed that, should something happen to both of them, you were to be Grace's guardian."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Kealoha was starting to look a little worried. "I'm sorry, I assumed he would've discussed it with you. It's a big thing to just expect someone to do. Clients usually discuss it with the guardian first."

"I'm sure he would've mentioned it," Steve said, "there just..." _Hadn't been time._

"I'm sorry, Commander. I know this must be a big shock, and if you'd prefer to make other arrangements for Grace we can discuss--"

"No!" Steve said quickly. "No, I'm fine with it, it was just a surprise. A good one." Because he hadn't wanted Grace to go anywhere, and now she didn't have to.

The fact that he knew next to nothing about raising a little girl was irrelevant. He'd figure it out. He'd had Danny as a role model for years--he could manage.

"Excellent." He put the papers down in front of Steve, continuing as Steve signed the marked pages numbly. "I know Danny was very worried that if anything happened she be able to remain here and that she would be protected, and he said you would be the one person he knew could do both things."

The amount of trust Danny had put in him was staggering. "He's--he was right."

"His will left you everything else," Kealoha said, surprising Steve further, "other than a few things he listed that he wanted you to send back to his family and keep for Grace." Kealoha shoved some of the paperwork into a legal-sized envelope and handed it to Steve. "Here's your copy."

Steve took it automatically, still trying to process everything. "Thanks."

"There's one more thing," Kealoha said, the caution in his tone catching Steve's attention. "He left this as well."

He handed Steve a regular envelope that just had 'Steven' on the front in Danny's handwriting. The full first name made Steve have to blink back tears. The back was sealed. "What's in it?"

Kealoha shrugged. "He didn't say. Just said that it was to go to you and no one else, and I was to destroy it if you weren't...available."

 _Alive_ , Steve realized, wondering if 'available' was Danny's choice of words at the time. "Okay," Steve said slowly.

"He gave it to me with the final signed will about a month ago, after everything was settled, if that helps."

It didn't. Steve wanted so badly to open it and see what it said, but at the same time, he didn't. He wasn't sure he could handle what was inside.

And it was the last message he'd ever get from Danny.

"Thank you," Steve said, standing. "Was there anything else?"

Kealoha shook his head. "Not for the moment." He stuck out his hand. "I am sorry, Commander. It was clear Danny thought a lot of you."

Steve shook his hand. "Thanks."

He left the building holding the papers in numb fingers, having to check every so often to make sure he hadn't dropped them. The envelope with his name on it was on top, and after a few glances, he had to shove it inside the bigger envelope to avoid looking at it.

He'd read it later, after Grace had gone to bed, when he didn't have anyone or anything else to focus on.

He left the papers in the glove compartment of his truck. Chin and Kono were waiting, and he felt the first hint of a smile on his face when he told them the news about Grace.

"I can't think of a better place for her than with you," Kono said, giving him a hug.

Chin followed suit. "Let me know if you need help when she starts dating."

"Oh, God." Steve groaned. "I don't even want to think about that. Let's just focus on the case."

Chin and Kono still had nothing new on the bomb, but there was a partial print on the back door that they were having trouble placing. Forensics had thought at first that it was too small to get anything out of, but while he'd been gone they'd matched it to an unsolved crime in New York City ten years ago.

"That's progress," Steve said, excited for the first time in days.

"Not that it does us a lot of good," Kono said. "It's a ten-year-old cold case 5,000 miles away."

"But it was in New York," Steve said. "Danny was in New Jersey. That gives us a lead."

Chin and Kono didn't look quite as excited. "Stan was also in New York," Chin said. "And Rachel was in New Jersey. Any one of them could've been the intended target."

"But if we look at the victim in New York," Steve insisted, "maybe we can narrow it down to which one was the target this time."

"Maybe," Chin said.

He knew they didn't want him to get his hopes up. He knew Chin, more than anyone, understood his need to solve this, to bring Danny's killer to justice. Or just to shoot the guy in the face. He was fine with either.

He was a little more fine with the latter than the former, but he suspected Chin understood that, too.

"Okay, look, we--"

His phone rang, and he checked the screen to see 'Academy of the Sacred Hearts' on the screen. He picked up quickly. "McGarrett."

"Commander." He recognized the school counselor's voice. "This is Ms. Kamaka, from Grace's school."

"What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could come to the school. Grace is having an issue."

He closed his eyes, mentally kicking himself for not seeing this coming. "I'll be right there," he said, hanging up. "Grace's school," he told Chin and Kono. "I have to go."

"Let us know if there's anything we can do," Kono said.

"Let me know if you find out anything else about that print," Steve said, already heading for the truck.

He used the sirens to get to the school in minutes, turning them off within 2 blocks so as not to frighten anyone at the school. The secretary led him back to Kamaka's office immediately.

"Commander," was all she got out before Steve had his arms full of a crying Grace.

He knelt down, holding her tightly. "What's wrong?"

"They wouldn't let me call you."

He met Kamaka's eyes, knowing his own expression reflected her worried one. "Of course not, Grace," he said. "You're in school."

"But I heard sirens, and I was worried, and they wouldn't let me call."

He loosened his hold, but still had to pry her off a bit to get her back enough to look into her eyes. "I'm fine," he said, wiping her tears with his thumbs. "See? Not a scratch."

He watched her swallow and take a deep breath. "I see that _now_ ," she said, "but I didn't know before."

"Grace..." he looked up at Kamaka, but she was no help. There was no one there to tell him how to handle this. He thought back to when he was still reeling from his mother's death. "How about this?" he said, looking at Grace again. "You can check your texts at lunch and between classes and text me so you can check in on me during the day."

He looked at Kamaka, unsure what the rules were on cell phones on school grounds, but ready to take Grace to a different school if they had a problem with it. She just nodded.

Grace sniffed. "What if you don't text me back?"

"Sometimes I'm in the middle of something," Steve said. "But the next time you check there'll be one, or you can call me, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Can you go back to class now?"

"Will you text me in a little while?"

"I will."

She studied him for a minute, then nodded again. "Sorry," she said, "I just...."

"I know." He hugged her. "It's okay. Just...." He couldn't say don't worry--he knew that wouldn't do any good. "Don't panic," he said instead. "I'll be okay." He smiled against her hair. "I've got Danno looking after me, right?"

He felt her nod this time. "Okay, back to class, young lady," he said, releasing her.

She turned to Kamaka. "I'm sorry, Ms. Kamaka."

"It's okay, Grace. We can talk later, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks." With one more hug for Steve, she walked out the door to go back to class.

Steve straightened. "It's okay if she checks her texts between classes and at lunch?"

"It is. I'll talk to her teacher. She'll have to leave her cell phone put away otherwise, or the teacher will have no choice but to hold onto it for her except during designated times."

"I'll talk to her about that tonight, thanks." He scratched the back of his neck, figuring he might as well get the rest of this out of the way. "Danny's will..." he said slowly, "I was at the lawyer's this morning. I'm officially Grace's guardian. For good."

Kamaka smiled. "I think that'll be good for her," she said. "It's clear she adores you."

"It's mutual," Steve said with a huff of laughter. "She's hard not to adore."

"I've set aside some time to talk to her once a week, unless that's a problem?"

"Uh...no, that's fine. Do you think I should take her to someone outside of school?"

Kamaka considered the question. "Let me talk to her this afternoon and I'll let you know. Her teacher's said she could come during math at the end of the day--apparently she's ahead of the rest of the class anyway, so he said it wouldn't be disruptive."

"Should you and I talk after?"

"Why don't you come a few minutes early to pick her up and you and I can talk just before final bell?"

Steve nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem," she said. "Thank you. Not everyone would take on a child not even related to them without hesitation."

As if he'd have done anything else. "I wouldn't let her go for the world."

"I can see that." She picked up a file on her desk. "I'll see you in a few hours, Commander."

***


	6. Chapter 6

Steve went back to HQ, but they were still stuck on the case. He texted Grace every so often, and kept watching the clock, and 45 minutes before Grace was scheduled to get out of class, he left for the school no further along with the case than they had been since they got the print.

Kamaka was waiting for him. "She seems to be doing well, all things considered," Kamaka said when Steve sat down.

"Really?"

"Well, she's not magically healed," Kamaka said. "But considering she just lost both her parents and her step father? I've seen much worse."

"You think I should take her to someone else?"

"It's early. She might need someone else when she's had time to process, but for the moment I think I can handle it."

He was happy to hear at least that was going well. And he'd checked Kamaka's credentials pretty thoroughly. She was more than qualified--he'd actually been curious as to why she was a school counselor. But right now he was just glad she was. "She's really doing okay?"

"Considering everything? Yes." Kamaka smiled. "She thinks you're 'awesome'--her word."

Steve could feel himself blushing. "Would I be embarrassing myself if I said how much the opinion of a ten-year-old meant to me?"

"Under the circumstances?" Kamaka said, laughing. "Not at all."

"Thank you. You'll let me know if I need to take her elsewhere?"

"If the time comes, I have some people I can recommend."

He shook her hand. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She held out a folder. "Grace and I set a schedule for us to talk. Here's the information. If you want to come to pick her up a few minutes early on the days when we have a session so you and I can talk, that's fine."

"Thank you again."

"It's my job, Commander," she said. "But with a child like Grace, it's also a pleasure."

He went out to the truck, reaching it just as the last bell rung. Grace was on the steps quickly, and Steve waved to her, feeling something tug in his heart when she flew down the steps and ran to him.

"You texted me!" she said, giving him a hug.

"I said I would."

"But you said you might get busy."

He helped her into the truck. "And I might some days. But I didn't today."

She was a little brighter on the way home, and it was like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. He knew it was temporary, but it was still good to see. And it would happen more often. He'd make sure of it.

Kono and Chin came over for dinner again. They teased Grace and Steve and kept things light until it was almost bedtime for Grace.

They still hadn't had any luck connecting the case in New York with Danny, Rachel or Stan, Chin told him as he helped Steve clear the table. But they were working on it.

"We'll start it back up in the morning," Steve said.

"We will find the connection," Chin added, hand on Steve's shoulder, reassuring smile on his face.

Chin and Kono left, and Steve got Grace into her own bed. "You have to get some sleep," he said. "You have school again tomorrow."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, you do."

She sighed, her lower lip jutting out. "It's just...that's where you told me."

"Told you what?"

"That they were gone."

He realized what she meant. "Look, Grace...you can't be afraid of a place just because something bad happened there."

"But it reminds me."

"I know." He sat down on the bed beside her. "The day my mom died," he said slowly, "I answered the door."

"Did they tell you there?"

"No, but I was the one who answered the door and saw the policeman. And I knew then, even before he talked to my dad, what had happened."

She thought about that for a minute. "Where was it?"

"Right downstairs at the front door here."

She blinked. "Here?"

"Here," he said with a nod. "And I wouldn't answer the door for a month. I was afraid to. But I had to answer it eventually." He took her hand. "You can't let places like that have too much power over you, or eventually you'll just end up hiding in your room all day every day," he said. "Does that make sense?"

She met his eyes. "I think so," she said. "You want me to go back to school and not be afraid?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do," he said, ruffling her hair and giving her a smile. "Can you do that?"

"I think so," she said after a moment. "I can try."

"That's all I can ask," he said, standing up and pulling the sheets up to her neck. "But if you're going to do it, you're going to need sleep. I'm down the landing if you need me. I'll leave the lights on out there, okay?"

She smiled up at him. "Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

He left a movie running on the computer again and went down to his room, closing the door. The packet from the lawyer was lying on the bed, waiting for him. He opened it, spilling the contents out onto the bed, and picked up the envelope.

He traced his name, written in handwriting he'd seen a thousand times, but wouldn't see new ever again. The permanence of it hit him like a kick to the gut.

Danny was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

This letter was the last new thing he'd have from him. The last words of advice, or ranting, or whatever was inside it.

He almost didn't want to open it. He'd been avoiding anything from Danny, avoiding texts and voicemails he couldn't look at or listen to, but couldn't bring himself to delete. He hadn't gone to Danny's apartment, hadn't even been in his office. Avoidance was the only way he could be there for Grace. And he had to be there for Grace.

But he couldn't avoid this letter.

He pulled out a knife and slid it along the fold, keeping the sealed part sealed, as if not breaking Danny's DNA would somehow help things.

He unfolded the letter, Danny's scrawl so familiar from years of looking at it. The words swam in front of his eyes for a moment before he sat down on the bed and focused.

_Dear Steve,_

_I suppose I could be really cliché and say, "If you're reading this, then..." but really, when have I ever been a cliché? (Shut up, I can hear that.) Irony of all ironies, me saying goodbye to you in a letter for a change (I did tell you I was never letting that go, right?)._

_First off, I'm sorry. I'm sure whatever happened you're blaming yourself, just as I'm sure it's not your fault. So stop it. For all that I nag, I'd have been dead ages ago if not for you. Sometimes I think I was half dead before you came back to Hawaii anyway. So thanks for that, even if it was a little like going from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (ask Grace, she'll explain it) to the biggest roller coaster in the universe._

_Speaking of Grace...since you're reading this, then you're all she has left on the island. And you're the only one left who can protect her from the monsters, both real and imagined._

_She's my baby, Steven. She's the best thing I ever did with my life. Fuck it up, and I don't care how much I said ghosts don't exist--I'll find a way to become one to come back and haunt your ass._

_That said...I know I don't have to worry. I know you won't fuck it up. You'll take care of her._

_And she'll take care of you. If I know you at all (and I do, believe me), you're beating yourself up. You can't do that. You have to be there for my little girl. Do not let my death, however it happened, consume you the way you did your parents'. Because she needs you. And you can't be wrapped up in revenge when she needs you to help her have a real, normal life._

_Which is not to say I don't want you to take the assholes down who took me out, but don't make it your life's work. And don't do it alone. You have a team for a reason, dumbass. Use it._

_Other than that...how do you say goodbye to someone who's become the second most important person in your life? And there's the real tragedy--if you're reading this, then I haven't replaced it with a different letter, and that means I never told you that._

_Which means I also need to apologize for that, too. I'm sorry I never told you how important you were. And I'm sorry that we never got to do...well, a lot of the things I've been fantasizing about for a while._

_But most of all, I'm sorry I never got to say I love you._

_Just...don't hate me for it, okay? I was working on it, I swear. And it's true, I love you, no matter where I am or what happened, okay?_

_Be safe, take care of my baby, and take care of yourself._

_Love,_

_Danny_

Steve dropped the letter into his lap and sagged back against the headboard. He scrubbed at his eyes, frowning at his hands when they came away wet.

"Son of a bitch."

He picked the letter up and scanned it again, but no, the contents hadn't changed. He closed his eyes and leaned back, his head hitting the wood with a dull thud. All that time he'd been fighting thoughts about Danny, wanting things...and Danny had been doing the same.

All that wasted time when they could've been....

"Dammit!"

He threw his pillow at the door. How could he? How could he take this secret to the grave and then just give it back, just the secret and nothing else.

If he wasn't dead, Steve would punch him right about now.

But he was dead. And Steve couldn't do anything about it, any more than he could do anything about all these feelings he had--all these feelings they'd both had, apparently.

"Fuck!"

There was a faint knock at the door, and he took a deep breath, trying to compose himself as he crossed the room and picked up the pillow before opening the door. "Hey, Gracie," he said. "You okay?"

"I heard noises," she said, looking at him critically, so much like Danny's intense study that it made his heart clench again. After a moment, she frowned, apparently not liking what she saw. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, scrubbing his face tiredly. He moved to the bed and sat down, motioning for her to sit down on the foot of it. "I'm just...I miss your dad, too, you know?"

She nodded as she hopped onto the bed. "You can cry on my shoulder if you want."

He couldn't help a small laugh mixed in with the tears he was trying so hard not to let fall. "Thank you," he said, heartfelt. "I appreciate that. I'll be okay. It's just...hard sometimes."

"I know," Grace said, taking hold of Steve's hand. "I got an A on my math test we got back today, the one Daddy helped me study for, and I wanted to tell him. But then I remembered that I couldn't."

"But you can," Steve said, watching her lower lip quiver and not sure he could handle her crying without giving in himself. "He's still there, remember?"

"But how will I know if he hears me?"

Steve squeezed his eyes shut for a second, taking a deep breath to keep himself under control. "He will. Just talk to him. He'll hear you."

He needed to take his own advice, he realized. He never got to answer all the things Danny never said. And he needed to.

He just wasn't sure he could. Not yet.

"I'll try," Grace said, sounding uncertain, but hopeful.

"Come on," he said, sliding off the bed and pulling her with him. "Let's see if you can get some sleep. You have school tomorrow."

He put her back in bed and went back to his room, closing the door again. Danny's letter lay on the bed, naked, heart bared the way Danny never had.

Steve sighed, suddenly bone tired. He turned his back on the letter and went into the bathroom, taking a shower and brushing his teeth. The letter was still on the bed when he came back, and he laid down under the covers before picking it back up, reading it again.

He knew he'd have it memorized in no time, that he'd read it until it was tattered and still never quite manage to kill all the regrets it gave him. If anyone should know that time was something you shouldn't take for granted, it was him. And yet he'd been as guilty as Danny of keeping his mouth shut, of waiting for the perfect moment when the time seemed right.

It seemed so pointless now, when he was left with a letter and Danny was left with....

Danny wasn't left at all, actually. He was gone.

Steve laid the letter on his chest, turned out the light, and tried to sleep.

***


	7. Chapter 7

_"Steven."_

_Steve gripped the sheets, unable to reply, barely able to breathe, as Danny's hand wrapped around Steve's cock and moved slowly, almost painfully slow. His face was so intent, though, staring down at Steve as if Danny's whole life depended on this being the best sex Steve had ever had._

_As if that had ever been in doubt. The mere fact that it was Danny assured that._

Steve woke up straining against the sheets. He choked out Danny's name as he gripped himself with his own hand, bringing himself off while staying lost in the dream.

As his breathing slowed, he realized the letter was crinkled in his other hand. He put it on the nightstand, wiping his hand on the sheet on the cold side of the bed before turning onto his side, the letter in his sights.

"I wish I could hate you," Steve whispered into the dark. He had no idea if Danny could even hear, but it felt good to say it out loud. "I wish I could, Danny, but God help me, I can't. I was as stupid as you were. I just...."

Steve took a shuddering breath, squeezing back the wetness in his eyes, everything he was feeling too much for mere tears. "I love you, too."

He lay there, staring at the letter in the moonlight, until the sun came up.

***

A month.

A whole fucking month, more man hours and phone calls and emails and evidence back and forth that Steve cared to think about, and nothing.

No clue about who had killed Danny, Rachel and Stan.

Steve combed through the case files for the hundredth time, at least. He had entire sections of them memorized, both from the Edwards house and the Rossi apartment in New York. Same partial print, but no idea who it belonged to or where it had come from.

The Rossi murder had been solved--a tragic story of a pregnant woman murdered by a junkie who'd died in a drug deal a week later. The New York press had made a lot of hay out of it.

Only problem was that the junkie's prints didn't match this partial. Neither did the victim's husband. No one who should've had access to the apartment matched the partial.

But the print from the Edwards house did.

Had NYPD gotten it wrong? Had someone else stabbed Emma Rossi to death? Or was the partial match a mistake?

Or was the whole thing just Danny's way of laughing at Steve from beyond the grave?

He rubbed his eyes, going back to the start of the Rossi file again, but his door swung open before he could start reading.

Kono stood just inside. "You're gonna go blind reading that over and over, you know that?"

Steve closed the file and pushed it aside. "At this point it wouldn't matter if I went blind," he said tiredly. "When I'm 90 I'll still be able to recite the files."

"Then why do you keep reading them?"

"Because we haven't solved the case yet."

She shook her head. "Have you considered that maybe it's time to take a break?"

He stared at her as if she'd sprouted an extra eye. "You're not seriously suggesting that we stop trying to find out who killed Danny."

"Of course not. I said a break, not stop." She moved closer, taking one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Take Grace to the Kahala Resort this weekend. She loves the dolphins."

"What if it reminds her of Danny?"

"It's supposed to, Steve. She isn't meant to forget him, just forget the pain." Kono eyed him levelly. "Or are you more worried it'll remind _you_ of Danny?''

He sat back in his chair. "Whatever you're implying--"

"I'm not implying anything," she said. "I'm asking it outright. Were you and Danny sleeping together?"

"No."

She raised an eyebrow. "But you loved him."

"It's complicated."

"I'm sure. Also, I owe Chin fifty bucks, so thanks for that."

"You what?"

She shrugged. "I'd have laid money on the two of you having sex. Well, actually, I did lay money on it."

"You bet on my love life?"

"No, I bet on your _sex_ life. Nobody had to bet on your love life--the two of you were practically wearing neon signs."

That stopped Steve short. "We were that obvious?"

"To everybody but yourselves, apparently."

"Not everybody."

"Steve, the Governor asked if you were due spousal bereavement leave."

Steve waved a hand. "He was joking."

"No, he wasn't. He sent the paperwork."

Steve blinked. "There's something I didn't need to hear," he said with a slight shudder. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then fixed his eyes on her. "I didn't know," he said carefully. "Well, I think I did, but I didn't realize it. Danny knew, though."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, the asshole. Not until he was dead."

She frowned at him. "Huh?"

"He left a letter. And no, I'm not going into it any more than that." Steve sure as hell wasn't telling her about the dreams he'd been having. Skinemax had nothing on the porn in his head. "I just...I've got nothing to do with these feelings, except add them to the mountain of regrets piled up somewhere in the back of my head."

"Is that really what Danny would want you to do?"

"No. But he's not exactly here to stop me, is he?"

Kono stood up. "Take Grace to the hotel," she said. "I'll watch the dog for the weekend. She needs it. And you might find your own answers there, too." At Steve's look of doubt, she shrugged. "You never know unless you try. And at least it'll be good for Grace."

"I'll think about it," Steve said, standing as well. "In the meantime, I have to pick Grace up from school."

***

"And then Tommy grabbed the hamster out of the cage and hid it under his desk."

Steve tried not to laugh, no matter how funny the image was in his head. It wouldn't set a good example. "I trust the teacher sent Tommy straight to the principal."

"Yeah, and now he has to sit in the Time Out room for a week."

"The Time Out room?"

He saw Grace nod out of the corner of his eye as he turned onto their street. "They send the bad kids to the Time Out rooms where they don't have any other kids to be bad with."

He stopped himself just in time from saying 'like jail?' "That sounds like a good place for Tommy until he learns how to behave."

"That's what the teacher said."

Steve pulled into the drive and turned off the truck. "What's for dinner?"

Grace shrugged as she opened the door. When he was on the other side of the truck, walking with her into the house, she said, "You're the cook."

"I thought you were the cook," Steve said, giving her an exaggerated frown as he unlocked the door. He turned off the alarm system, using it at all something Danny had finally managed to beat into his head by leaving Grace in his care.

"I can't cook."

"Really?" Steve took her backpack and hung it on the back of the door. "You made great cookies for your class last week."

"I helped stir. Auntie Kono did all the cooking."

Steve nodded. "Right. Of course. Because you're too young to cook. Or bake, in this case."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "What's the difference?"

"The oven."

She followed him into the kitchen. "So are you going to cook dinner or bake it?"

"Tell you what," Steve said, "how about we get take out and let someone else do the work?"

"Too much take out isn't good for you," Grace said gravely.

Steve fought back another smile. "We haven't had takeout in a week, so I think we're okay."

"Okay," she said. "Pizza?"

He nodded and pulled out his phone. "See if you can finish your math homework before they get here," he said, leading her back out to the living room and grabbing her backpack from the door.

By the time the pizza got there, Grace had finished her math homework and started on spelling, her books sprawled out on the dining room table as if she'd always belonged there. It worked, the strange routine they'd established in the last month. They danced around how much they both missed Danny most of the time, but she was healing. Slowly, but she was healing. Most nights, she even managed to sleep through the night in her own room--now decorated with things from her room at Danny's and painted bright pink.

Steve wished he was so lucky. He woke most nights from dreams of Danny that had him jerking off more often than not. He wasn't sorry Danny had managed to tell him in the letter what he couldn't tell him in life, but sometimes he still hated him a little for it anyway.

Grace helped him clear the table and finished her homework. He sent her up to get ready for bed while he checked in with Chin, who had a surprise for him.

"It turns out Emma Rossi was having an affair."

Steve dropped a plate in the sink. "How did NYPD miss that?"

"She was very good at hiding it," Chin said. "Plus, NYPD had misplaced a bunch of interviews her coworkers, and just sent them over today. One of them caught her with the IT guy in the supply closet. They never followed up on it because the junkie confessed to the murder on his deathbed. Case closed."

"We need to talk to the coworker."

"That'd be nice, but she died a month later. Stabbed to death in a mugging."

Steve stared out at the sun setting on the ocean. "That's quite the coincidence."

"Thought you'd say that," Chin replied. "I'm having the files sent over on her mugging. They'll be here in the morning."

"Nice work, Chin. Thank you."

"Hey, we all want to catch Danny's killer, brah," Chin replied. "How's Grace today?"

Steve smiled. "Good."

"Good." Chin's hesitation before his next sentence had him on alert. "And how are you?"

"You've been talking to Kono."

"I talk to Kono all the time. She's family and a coworker."

Steve gripped the phone. "I'm fine."

"So you're going to take Grace to the Kahala this weekend?"

"Chin."

"I'm just saying if you're fine then there shouldn't be any problem with it."

Steve swallowed. "I'll think about it."

"Good. Because we made reservations for the two of you. You check in Friday."

"You're both fired."

"No we're not," Chin said, and Steve could hear the laughter in his voice. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah." Steve sighed. "Thanks."

"We're ohana. Never forget it."

He hung up and put the phone in his pocket, finishing the dishes before he heard the water shut off in the bathroom over the kitchen. He went up to find Grace in her room, drying her hair with a towel, already in her pajamas, her TV on.

"Ready for bed?" he asked.

"Yeah. My TV's fuzzy, though."

The TV he'd put in the room as a compromise when she wasn't able to sleep played every night for a couple of hours. The remote stayed by her bed to turn it back on if she needed it, but he'd noticed she hadn't had it on in a few mornings now.

He went over to check the cable hooked into the TV, but nothing looked off. The cable was tight in the wall and in the TV itself. She was right, though, the TV was a little blurry. "When did it start doing that?"

She shrugged. "It's been like that since we put it in when I watch regular TV."

"But not the DVD?"

"No."

"We'll figure it out," he said, making a mental note to call Toast in the morning. "Do you want a DVD instead?"

"No, it's okay."

He tucked her in, brushing her hair back. "Night."

"Night."

He realized after he'd gone to his room that he'd forgotten to tell her about the hotel. Probably for the best--she'd never get to sleep. He'd tell her tomorrow after school, when she'd have time to work off the excitement before bed.

***


	8. Chapter 8

He dropped Grace off at school in the morning and called Toast on his way to HQ. Toast answered on the fifth ring, sounding half-asleep.

"Hey, Toast, it's McGarrett. I need a favor."

He heard Toast sigh. "Is it going to get me shot at?"

"I sincerely hope not. I need you to check the TV setup at my house."

"First you want me to set up the cable in there, now you want me to fix it? You know this isn't Best Buy, right?"

"As I recall, you hacked Best Buy and we didn't arrest you. At least not yet."

"Yes, sir, what time would you like me to be at your house, sir?"

Steve laughed. "I'll pick you up at eleven."

"Can't wait."

***

Chin and Kono were waiting at the computer table when Steve got in. "NYPD got us the interviews with Rossi's coworkers."

"What'd you find?"

"We're still going through them, but we started with Karen Frasier. She's the one who said she caught Emma Rossi in the supply closet with the IT guy."

Steve looked at the pictures Kono flipped onto the overhead monitors. "She say who the IT guy was?"

"His name was Alan Marsh," Kono said. "But here's where it gets interesting." She swept her fingers across the table and Frasier's picture was replaced with a guy in his mid-thirties, who looked more like a gym junkie than an IT worker. "Something in Alan Marsh's background didn't sit right. There were too many holes."

She swept another picture of him up on the screen. "So I did a facial rec search, and found this."

Steve frowned at her. "Same guy. So?"

Kono shook her head. "Not the same guy. At least not according to social security, birth records, you name it. This guy on the right is Mike Donner."

"So they look alike?"

"More than that. They share the same blood type, are from the same area, and are, as much as we can tell from multiple pictures, identical."

Steve stared at both pictures. "Twins?"

"That's what we thought at first," Kono said, and Steve wondered just how long they'd been there going over these files. "But then we discovered another weird thing. Donner was arrested by Danny in '05 for rape."

"Danny put this guy away?" Steve asked, stepping closer to the table.

Chin nodded. "The guy had raped three women by the time Danny caught up with him. Open and shut case--Danny was thorough before he arrested him, made sure it was solid."

"But this can't be our guy," Steve said. "His print would've shown up when we searched with our partial."

"Unless," Chin said, "Donner's prints had somehow been wiped from the system."

"Donner's prints aren't on file?"

Chin shook his head. "No one seems to know what happened. The computer files were corrupted, and when they went to get check original paper files, they were just gone. Nothing."

"So Marsh was an IT guy, and Donner's files were wiped from the computer system...and they're identical."

"Coincidence, yeah?" Kono said.

"About as much as Rossi and Frasier both being stabbed," Steve said absently, looking at the additional files on the table. "Is there anybody who knows either of these guys that we can talk to?"

Kono flipped through the files on the table. "Donner had a wife and daughter," she said, "but after his arrest they disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Not quite like that," Kono said. "The wife couldn't handle the publicity. She changed her name and her daughter's and had it sealed, at least until the daughter turned eighteen, so no one could find them."

"How old's the daughter now?"

Kono checked. "Nineteen."

"Has anyone talked to Donner?"

"Donner died in an explosion at the prison last year," Chin said. "Burned beyond recognition, along with three other inmates."

"So if Donner died in a fire," Steve said, "then how did his print end up at Stan and Rachel's?"

"A very good question," Chin replied. "Obviously he managed to fake his death, but figuring out who helped him, who took his place in that explosion, and who might know where to find him now...that's going to take some time."

Steve looked at the pictures of Marsh and Donner on the screen, almost certainly the same guy. "Someone helped him create that second identity," he said. "And someone has to have helped him get a body into the prison. Can we get someone from Danny's old precinct to help run down a few leads?" He'd go there himself at this point, but he had to take care of Grace.

"We talked to Danny's old partner when we got the Donner files," Kono said. "He said if we needed anything, let him know."

"Good. So let him know we need to find a person who would've helped Donner escape." Steve checked his watch. "I've got a meeting with the governor," he said. "And then I have to go fix Grace's TV."

"Something's wrong with Grace's TV?"

"Long story," Steve said. "I should be back in time for lunch--how about I pick something up on the way back?"

At Chin and Kono's nods, Steve said, "This is great work." Not that they didn't know that, but still.

"We'll get the guy," Chin said.

"I know." He'd just feel better if it was sooner rather than later. "Text me if anything new comes up," Steve said as he walked out.

***

The meeting with the governor was a formality at best, set up, Steve suspected, to make sure that Steve wasn't going off the deep end without Danny to reel him back in. Steve didn't need Danny to reel him in anymore. He had Grace--if he went too far out on a limb, who was going to take care of her?

He understood Danny's insistence on going by the book so much better now than he had before.

Toast was ready and waiting when Steve arrived. "I brought some things that might help me figure out if there's interference in the system," he said. "Are you having trouble with any of the other TVs?"

He thought about it for a moment. He didn't really watch much TV. "I don't think so, but there's only the one other one in the living room."

"What about computers?"

"No, no problems that I can--wait. My laptop. I put it on the dresser the other day when Grace came in while I was working, and it blurred. I thought it was just because I put it down too hard."

"Might've been." But Toast didn't sound sure.

When they got to the house, Toast didn't get out immediately. "Hang on," he said, pulling out a piece of equipment that looked like one of those scanners they used on Star Trek. "Let me just..." He tapped a few things on it and aimed it at the house. "That's weird."

"What?"

"Come on." He got out of the truck, and Steve followed him, but he didn't go to the door. Instead, he circled the house, eyes on his scanner. "Okay, that's really weird."

"What?"

"The wifi I set up for you seems to have a piggy back signal."

Steve blinked. "What?"

"It's like someone's hacked it to transmit out."

"What's it transmitting?" Steve asked. "There aren't even any computers on in the house right now."

Toast was tapping away at his screen again. "Hang on, I'm--whoa."

"Toast, I can still tell Best Buy who hacked--"

"Hold your horses, brah. I'm pulling it up now."

He held the scanner out, and Steve saw a picture of his bedroom. "It's transmitting pictures of my bedroom?"

"No, that's live video you're looking at," Toast said. "And there's more." He tapped several times, and on each tap, Steve saw different rooms in his house. The kitchen, the living room, Grace's room, the dining room.

"What, no bathroom?"

"Bathrooms tend to mess with cameras," Toast said. "The steam can be too much long-term, and they can fizzle out. Noisily. Whoever did this was a pro, man. And he did _not_ want to be discovered."

Steve stared at the dining room, live on his screen. "No shots outside the house?" he asked.

Toast shook his head. "Internal only. Obviously small and well-hidden. You'd never see them. If you hadn't had the TV put in right under the camera, you'd probably never have known."

"Hang on," Steve said.

"What the--"

"Just stay here and watch the screen."

He went into the house, stopped in the living room, and looked around. "Where is it?" he said to himself, before he picked up a file, like he'd just forgotten it when he left that morning, and left again, going right back to where Toast was standing at the corner of the house. "What happened?"

"You went into the living room, said 'Where is it?', picked up some papers, and left."

"So it really is transmitting live, and with audio?"

"I told you that already."

Not that Steve had doubted him. He'd just hoped maybe Toast was wrong. "Fuck."

"You can say that again," Toast said. "You want me to start dismantling it?"

Steve was about to agree, then he remembered their suspect, Donner. An IT expert. Someone so good he'd managed to wipe his own fingerprints out of the database and escape from prison as a dead man. "No," Steve said. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"HQ."

***

"Seriously?" Kono said, staring at him with the same horror he saw on Chin's face. The same horror he knew he'd had on his own face at the house. "Someone has your entire house wired with cameras?"

"Not the entire house," Steve said. "But most of it, yeah."

"What about here?" Kono asked.

Steve waved a hand. "Toast checked us thoroughly before I said anything. I'm guessing this place was just a little too secure for him to get to."

Kono relaxed just a fraction. "And you think it's Donner?"

"Maybe, I don't know." Steve ran a hand through his hair. "What would he have to gain by wiring my house with cameras?"

Chin leaned on the computer table, smacking Toast's hand away from it without even looking. "Depends on how long the cameras were there. Maybe he was using them to find a way to get to Danny. He might've had Danny's place wired, too."

"Has his place been rented to someone else yet?" Steve asked. He'd let Chin and Kono pack the place up, and most of Danny's stuff was in storage. Steve had avoided even going down that street since Danny's death, let alone asking anything about it.

"Not yet," Kono said. "I picked up the last of Danny's stuff last week. I think the landlord said someone was going to be moving in next week."

"Toast," Steve said, "any way to tell how long those cameras have been transmitting? Or, better yet, where they're transmitting to?"

"Depends."

When he didn't say anything else, Steve harrumphed impatiently, "Depends on what?"

"His signal was jumping around when we were out there. It could take ages to figure out how long it's been doing that, if I even can. It's not the same as a static signal beaming to the same location over and over." Toast shook his head. "This guy is good."

"So are you."

"Yeah, but he's doing everything I'd do not to get caught." Toast seemed to realize how that sounded. "If I were to ever do something that I didn't want to get caught doing, which of course I would never do."

"I'll be sure to tell Best Buy that," Steve said.

Toast looked at his scanner. "If we could pull the actual equipment, then maybe we could find the source he got the cameras from, but I don't know if I can trace him back with his stream."

"We can pull the equipment today," Chin said, pulling out his cell phone.

"No, wait." Steve reached out, stopping Chin with a hand on his arm. "We pull the equipment, he knows he's made, and we lose him."

"What if he's not watching them anymore?" Kono asked.

Steve looked at Toast. "Does someone have to pay regular fees for any of the stuff he's using to stream?"

"He's got a couple of paid systems he's using with prepaid cards to stream the feed," Toast said, on his laptop now, tapping away, ignoring Chin's glare at using the tabletop computer for a workstation for his laptop. "Let me see when the last one was--aha!" He looked up. "The last one was just renewed four days ago. Different card than before, so it couldn't have been automatic."

"Can you trace the money?"

Toast shook his head. "Prepaid card, fake address, burner email address--he's covering his trail like a pro."

"Donner would," Chin said.

"But what does he have to gain by watching us now that he has what he came for?"

"Unless that's not all he came for," Kono said. "What if Donner wants revenge for everything Danny took?"

Steve frowned. "Huh?"

"He killed Danny's wife, too, remember?"

"Ex-wife."

"You really think a crazy psychopath's going to see the difference?" Kono shook her head. "When Donner was caught, he lost his wife and his daughter."

Steve's blood ran cold. "He wants Grace."

"It makes sense if he's still watching your house," she said. "Maybe he thought she'd be there when Danny went to Rachel's, but she wasn't. Since then, someone's with her at all times, and the school is on alert. But he's patient--we know that. So he watches and bides his time, and then looks for his opening."

"Fuck." Steve closed his eyes, trying to think around the rush of blood in his ears. "Okay. She's at school now--what if he has cameras there?" He turned to Toast. "Can you check the school to see if he's broadcasting from there, too?"

Toast nodded, and Steve waved a hand at Kono. "Take him over to the school. If there are any cameras, don't get caught on them. Be low key. We don't want this guy to know we're onto him."

She nodded and led Toast out of the offices. Steve turned to Chin. "He can't get Grace."

"I know." Chin put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "We won't let him."

"Chin...."

"I know," Chin said, his voice calm. "I know."

Steve took a shaky breath. "Okay, we have to figure out a way to track this guy."

"Did you say anything in the house last night about taking Grace to the Kahala Resort?"

Steve thought for a moment. "No. You did, on the phone, but I didn't repeat it, and I didn't say anything to Grace yet. I was going to tell her on the way home today."

"So make sure you talk about it on camera. A lot."

"We give him a less secure location to go after Grace?" Steve bit his lip. "I'm not sure about that."

"He likes his cameras, right?" At Steve's nod, Chin said, "So we give him a place he might want to set up some more."

Steve considered it. "So we watch the hotel once we've dropped the clue and see if we can catch him in the act of setting up surveillance?"

"It's probably our best shot at tracking him. And it gives us a chance to control the situation."

"There are too many rooms," Steve said. "We'll need to have a specific one. Given the circumstances, we could probably get the governor to pull a few strings."

Chin nodded. "And hey, if this doesn't work, you and Grace get a weekend at the nicest suite in town?"

"There are worse outcomes."

***


	9. Chapter 9

The governor pulled his strings, and Steve and Grace were booked for the Kahala Kai suite on the top floor, meaning there was only one room to monitor. The resort had been very helpful once they'd been given a cover story of a dangerous criminal using their hotel to commit a high-profile crime. To avoid the potential bad press, they'd coughed up the suite and made sure it would be empty for three days before Grace and Steve were supposed to check in.

Steve talked up the hotel and the suite to Grace in every room that had a camera--not that it was tough. Once Grace found out they were going, she could talk of little else. Even homework became difficult, because she kept stopping to ask if they could do this or that while they were at the hotel.

Meanwhile, HPD had teams watching the hotel, and the staff was on alert to report anything suspicious. On Wednesday, their work paid off. The hotel manager called Wednesday morning to say one of the maids had discovered someone going into the empty suite dressed as a waiter, and immediately told the desk.

Steve had been sitting near the hotel, in full gear, waiting, and was on site before Chin finished filling him in. Chin called the HPD officers who were stationed around the hotel as staff while Steve hurried up to the room.

He could hear someone inside the suite when he put his ear to the door. He turned on the scanner Toast had given him and tapped the buttons on screen as Toast had shown him, and in seconds, a shot of the hotel room on the other side of the door appeared.

Steve relayed the information to Chin quietly, as he crept slowly away, just around the corner, waiting for the suspect to leave the room. Minutes later, the door opened, and Donner slipped out, dressed like a waiter, pushing a covered waiter's tray that no doubt contained his equipment.

He could just grab Donner now, but he'd have no way of knowing if he was working with someone else. He had to be sure that Grace was safe. So he followed carefully, staying around corners, calling out Donner's moves, trusting that Chin and Kono, who were now downstairs, and the HPD officers wouldn't let him escape.

Kono picked him up at the door, telling him HPD had slipped a tracker on Donner's car, and that Chin was following on his bike, and HPD had unmarked cars on the road tracking him as well.

"He's not getting away," she said, giving Steve a reassuring smile.

They didn't have to follow far, as it turned out. He led them to a large, gated house in Kahala--a rental, according to Kono's records search, but one that had been rented for a year.

"How the hell long has he been here planning this?" Steve asked.

"It was rented four months ago," she said, looking at her tablet, "but there's no record of when he actually moved in."

"Do the records include a way in without tipping the guy off?"

She looked at the tablet for a moment. "There's a section off to the west side where the fence has a slight break." She showed him a satellite view that he had no idea how she'd pulled up, but he wasn't going to question it. "Should be big enough to get a team through one person at a time."

"Okay, then, let's go."

They had to wait for HPD to set up at various points around the perimeter in case their suspect made a run for it, but then they were clear to go in. Steve was the first one through the break in the fence. He led them around to a back door, using an electric lock pick to get in.

Once inside, he could hear noises from the center of the house. He led Chin and Kono through to the living room, his eyes taking a second to adjust to the darkness.

Donner was on the couch, surrounded by a bank of monitors and several computers. His eyes went wide as he saw them, and he reached down beside the couch, but Steve yelled "Freeze! Hands up!"

For a moment he thought Donner was going to go for it, and his finger itched to pull the trigger. This guy was responsible for Danny's death, and Steve would love nothing more than to empty his clip into the guy's chest.

But then Donner smiled, raising his hands slowly, and saying nothing.

"Mike Donner," Steve called out, moving forward, his gun trained on Donner, "you're under arrest for the murders of Stan Edwards, Rachel Edwards, and Danny Williams--" he started.

A noise from somewhere else in the house stopped him. "Kono," he said, "cuff him."

He waited until Kono had Donner handcuffed before nodding to Chin to check the other side of the house. Steve went back the way they'd come, clearing each room until he came to one that was locked.

He could hear sound on the other side of it, but it was faint and impossible to distinguish. He used the electronic pick and threw the door open while still back behind the wall beside it. When no hail of bullets followed, Steve stepped carefully through the door, gun first.

The room was dark, with three times as many monitors in this room, some of them showing the same scenes as others. He recognized his house and Grace's school on most of them, and traffic cam views of several places they frequented.

A sound from the back corner had him whipping around, gun out, expecting an attack, but his gun nearly fell out of his hand as he realized what he was seeing in the light from the monitors.

"Danny?"

Unless he'd finally lost it, it was definitely Danny. Chained to the wall, dirty and unshaven, but alive. Very much alive.

"Danny?" Steve said again. Couldn't stop himself from saying it once more. "What the hell?"

"Took you long enough," Danny said, his voice raspy, but better than anything Steve had heard in ages.

"We--you...you were dead."

Steve never thought he'd nearly cry at the sight of Danny rolling his eyes, but he did. "Reports of my death, yadda yadda," he said. "Do you think maybe you could get me out of these chains?"

"Oh, God, sorry." Steve went to holster his gun, then looked around. "Are you alone?"

"Assuming you already got my buddy, Donner, out there, then yes, I'm alone. There's been no one else here."

Steve holstered his gun and took the chains off, wincing at the bruises and abrasions they'd left on Danny's wrists and ankles. "Have you been in those things for a month?"

"On and off, yeah." Danny rubbed at his wrists, making a face as he rubbed a little too hard. "He let me out some to keep me in shape. Couldn't have me dying or getting sick or anything. Where would the fun be in that?"

Steve looked around the room. "So you've been in here with nothing but that to look at the whole time?" he said, nodding at the video screens of his life and Grace's life, moving on without him.

He nodded. "Help me up, will you?"

Steve pulled him to his feet, putting his arm around him for support. And only then did it really hit him.

Danny was alive.

Alive and right there. "Oh my God," he said, barely getting the words out on a choked breath before he was pulling Danny into his arms. Definitely Danny, his scent clearly there beneath all the grime.

"Hey," Danny said, his hands rubbing up and down Steve's back. "I know I need a shower, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to do it."

Only then did Steve realize there were tears running down his face, and he pulled back, unwilling to let Danny go completely, but at least letting him go enough that Steve could wipe his own face off. "I just--you have no idea."

"Yeah," Danny said softly, nodding at the screens. "I do."

Oh...fuck. He'd seen everything. Not just Steve and Grace getting on with their lives, but Steve reading the letter, Steve waking up at night and...oh.

"I, uh..."

"Hey, Steve, your comms cut out when you--" Chin came around the corner and stopped cold. "Danny?"

Danny lifted the hand that wasn't around Steve's waist in a wave. "That's me."

"You're--"

"Dead, I know. Only not so much, as it turns out."

Chin's smile was huge, and Steve couldn't blame him. He knew he was wearing a similar one right now. "That's great news," Chin said. He turned around, seeing the monitors fully for the first time, before turning back to look at Danny. "Wow."

"Yeah," Danny said.

"That's--" Chin cocked his head at a shout from down the hall, then leaned out the door. "In here!" he shouted back.

A moment later, Kono appeared. "HPD took--" She stopped when she stepped into the room and stared. "Danny?"

"Yes, it's me, Danny. Not dead. Very much alive."

"Oh my God, Danny!" She ran forward, dislodging Steve so she could hug him until he grunted. "Sorry," she said, stepping back to grin at him. "You're--"

"Not dead?" Danny supplied.

"Yes!"

She looked from him to Steve, then stepped back even further, leaving Danny without any support. Steve stepped back in quickly, putting his arm back around Danny, even though he knew exactly what Kono was doing. He didn't care. He'd never let Danny go again if he had any choice in the matter.

Which was a little unrealistic long term, but he couldn't exactly be blamed for the fog his brain was in.

Danny was alive, and pressed against Steve's side, and, Steve thought it bore repeating, alive. Steve thought no one who knew them could really blame him for wanting to drag Danny out of there and check every inch of him to make sure he was really okay.

But even more than that, he wanted to take Danny to Grace.

"So," Kono said, "are you alone here?"

He felt Danny stiffen. "Yeah," he said softly. "Donner was waiting inside with Stan and Rachel. He had them out cold on the floor, and he made sure I knew exactly what he was planning before he drugged me. They're...not here."

Steve felt a little guilt that it hadn't occurred to him to ask, but he'd been so blindsided by Danny being there, nothing else had really penetrated his brain. "I'm sorry," he said softly, leaning into Danny, feeling him lean into Steve in response.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"Okay," Steve said, trying for normal and failing, but not caring about that, either. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"Under normal circumstances," Danny said, "I would argue with you. However, given how dry my mouth is and how I'm not sure my legs would get me out to the front door, I won't."

"Hang on," Kono said, running out the door. Chin followed her, after a smile for both of them, leaving Steve and Danny alone.

He turned his head and saw Danny looking up at him. "I don't suppose Donner gave you a remote control to switch channels in here?" Steve asked.

"Nope. It was the all Steve and Grace, all the time network."

Steve couldn't even begin to imagine what that would do to him if the situation was reversed. And for Danny.... "I'm sorry. We'd have never stopped looking if we'd known."

"I know. There was a body, there was plenty of evidence. He'd even managed to change the DNA test results. Trust me, even if Donner hadn't detailed his whole plan for me, I saw enough of your conversations with Chin and Kono." Danny swallowed carefully. "And I saw...what it did to you. And to Grace."

"Danny, I--"

Kono came running back around the corner, a stretcher and EMTs close behind her, breaking the moment. Steve helped Danny onto the stretcher, not letting go until he absolutely had to. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Kono smiling at him. "Go with him to the hospital."

"No." He wanted to. He never wanted to leave Danny's side again. But he had something more important to do. "Will you guys stay with him?" he asked. "I need to go get Grace."

He felt Danny's hand tighten in his, looked down to see Danny smiling up at him. "Thank you."

Steve couldn't form words, he just squeezed Danny's hand back before he let go. He looked at Kono and Chin. "Stay with him?" he asked, hoping that translated to them as 'Do not let him out of your sight.'

He saw they understood. "The whole time."

Steve nodded and ran out the door. He flipped on the sirens and made it to Grace's school in no time. He didn't even stop in the office, he went straight for Grace's classroom, interrupting the teacher mid-sentence. "I need to take Grace for the day," he said. "Something's come up. Can you let the office know?"

The teacher nodded, and Grace gathered her books and put them in her backpack, a worried look on her face. "Is everybody okay?" she asked, as soon as she was in the hall.

He knelt down in front of her, hands on her shoulders. "Grace, Danno's alive." She stared at him in disbelief. "We found him today," Steve continued, "with the man we thought had killed him."

"But...then...Mom and Stan?"

"I'm sorry, honey, it was only Danno."

She nodded, her eyes wet. "Can I see him?"

"Of course, that's why I'm here, to take you to him. Let's go."

He managed to park in the garage at Queen's and walk into the building like a civilized human being --and he relished the thought that Danny's voice saying that in his head didn't have to be only in his head anymore. Kono had texted him that they were in the ER, and the staff ushered him back, clearly aware of what was going on.

Danny was in a bed, wearing a hospital gown, and looking cleaner, if still scruffy. Steve stopped, feeling Grace's hand clench his so tightly he worried about damage, before she let go and flung herself onto the bed.

Steve could hear her sobs, and could see Danny's wet eyes as they clung to each other. The words were indistinguishable, but the sentiment was obvious, and Steve caught Kono's eye as he looked away for a second. She nodded at Danny and Grace, trying to get Steve to go over there, but he stayed back. He didn't want to interrupt their reunion.

Until Danny looked at him, holding a hand out, and Steve couldn't stay away. He walked over and took Danny's hand, looking down at the two most important people in his life and wondering when it would finally sink in that Danny wasn't dead.

***


	10. Chapter 10

Grace was in his room in the morning before he was fully awake. "Did I dream it?" she demanded.

Steve blinked his eyes, trying to wake up and process her question. "What?"

"Danno. He's alive, right?"

Steve felt himself smiling. "He's alive," he said, reaching out to take her hand. "And the sooner you go get dressed and we eat some breakfast, the sooner we can go to the hospital and see him."

She pulled out of his grasp and ran off to her room. It was all he could do to get her to eat, but when she realize he was serious about not going to the hospital until she ate, she shoveled her food in with speed. He knew he should probably tell her to slow down, but he was eating just as fast, and for the same reason.

He needed to see that Danny really was still alive. That it hadn't been a dream.

It hadn't been. Danny's eyes were closed when they walked into the room, but they opened as Grace let go of Steve and launched herself on the bed. "Danno!"

"Hey, Monkey." Danny gave her a kiss on the forehead and held her close before looking up at Steve. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Steve said, eying him critically. He looked better this morning, the dark circles under his eyes not gone, but lighter. "How are you feeling?"

Danny grinned. "Better," he said, his hand running through Grace's hair. "Like I want to get out of here."

"We'll see what the doctor says." Steve wanted him out of here, too. There were things they needed to say that weren't getting said in a hospital. But he wasn't letting Danny leave the hospital until a doctor fully signed off on it.

He was all too aware of what losing Danny was like, and he wasn't letting it happen again.

"Then get the doctor in here," Danny grumbled. "I want to go home."

"Uh, yeah, about that," Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Your apartment's kind of gone."

"I know that," Danny said quietly. "TVs, remember?"

Steve knew he was editing his words for Grace's benefit. "Right."

"That wasn't where I meant when I said home."

Steve blinked. "Oh."

Danny shook his head. "We'll talk later," he said, tugging on Grace's hair a little until she lifted her head. "I think I have a lot of catching up to do with this one."

Settling into the chair by the bed, Steve watched Danny and Grace catch up. Not that Danny didn't know most of what Grace was saying, Steve realized, since Steve himself had heard most of it in the house in rooms Danny would have been watching, but he knew it didn't make a difference.

Grace needed to tell Danny all the things she'd been wanting to tell him and couldn't, and Danny needed Grace to know he was listening.

He left the room only once, to take a quick call from Chin about Donner, who was cooling his heels in a cell waiting for interrogation. "Let him wait," Steve said, watching Danny and Grace on the other side of the hospital room door. "Danny deserves the chance to be in on it if he wants."

"We can't let him go in there with his own kidnapper."

"I didn't say we would." He didn't say they wouldn't, either. "But he deserves to at least be able to watch." Steve saw the doctor coming down the hall. "I'll talk to him as soon as the doctor's done and find out what he wants, okay?"

"Okay."

Steve hung up and caught the doctor just before he went into the room. "Hey, doc," he said, "look, Danny's going to do everything he can to convince you to let him go home. Do you think he should?"

"I won't know until I see how he's doing, Commander," the doctor said. "But I'm not easily persuaded, if that helps."

"It does."

Steve followed the doctor into the room, coaxing Grace off Danny to stand off to the side with Steve while the doctor looked at Danny's chart and checked him over. "How are you feeling, Detective?"

"A thousand percent better," Danny said, looking over at Steve and Grace with a smile.

"You seem to be hydrated," the doctor said, "and there's no lasting physical damage. Do you feel up to going home?"

Danny gave Steve a look that made Steve flush. "I think going home would be the best thing for me."

Steve shook his head, smiling. The doctor studied Danny for a moment. "I'll discharge you," he said finally. "You need to follow the directions the nurse will give you on changing the bandages on your wrists and ankles for a while, and follow up with a physical therapist if the strength doesn't come back in your muscles."

"Strength?" Steve asked, frowning.

"It's nothing," Danny said. "I just didn't get to move around a lot, so I won't be running any marathons anytime soon."

Steve looked at the doctor. "You're sure he's okay to leave?"

"I'm sure, Commander, as long as there's someone keeping him company."

"There will be."

"Then it's fine." The doctor looked at Danny. "The nurse will be in shortly with your discharge papers and instructions."

"Thanks."

The doctor left, and Danny looked down at his gown and cover-clad body. "I, uh, might need something else to wear to get out of here."

"Brought you some clothes," Steve said, holding up the bag he'd dropped on the empty chair by the door when they'd walked in.

"What would I do without you?"

 _You're never going to find out,_ Steve thought, but he didn't say it. He just shrugged, raising his eyebrows.

Danny got the message anyway, giving Steve a smile in return. "Hey, Grace," Danny said, "how about you give your old man a minute to get dressed so we can get out of here?"

"I don't want to wait outside alone."

Steve knelt down beside her. "Can you wait in the bathroom over there for a minute while I make sure Danno doesn't go anywhere while he changes?"

She looked from Danny to Steve, then nodded and went into the bathroom. Steve closed the door to the room and turned to see Danny pushing himself upright. Steve hurried over to help.

"I'm not a complete invalid," Danny said, though he didn't shake Steve off.

"You're also not exactly at full strength."

"I didn't say you couldn't help," Danny said. "Just don't treat me like I'm made of glass, okay? It'll scare Grace."

Steve nodded, helping Danny out of the gown. Danny's skin was warm under Steve's hands, the hair on his arms tickling Steve's palms as he slid the gown off. He was touching more than was really necessary, but he couldn't help it. From the knowing look Danny gave him when their eyes met, he thought maybe Danny understood.

"Better?" Steve asked when he had Danny in a pair of pants and a shirt that Steve hadn't been able to take to storage when he'd washed it. Danny had left it at his house the last time he'd brought Grace over to go swimming, and Steve had left it folded in the laundry room like maybe, if he didn't get rid of it, Danny would come back.

Though he hadn't really expected that to work.

Danny nodded. "Much better," he said. "How about you?"

So maybe he had figured out Steve had needed to touch. "Much better." It wasn't nearly as much as Steve wanted, not by a mile, but it helped. "Grace," Steve called out, raising his voice as he stepped back, letting Danny go. "Come on out."

She came out of the bathroom and around the bed to lean on Danny's leg. "Are we going home?" she asked.

"As soon as the nurse comes and releases me."

"Awesome! Wait until you see my room--I helped Steve paint it."

"I know," Danny said.

"How did you know that?"

He winced, glancing at Steve. "Steve told me."

They were going to be careful about that. Steve suspected Danny didn't want Grace knowing anything about where Danny had been any more than Steve did. And letting on that he'd seen much of the last month would do it.

The nurse arrived, and soon they were on their way home. Steve helped Danny out of the truck, but let him go, staying nearby in case he needed to grab hold, but doing his best not to hover. He walked as normally as he could, but Steve could see the slight tremors when he looked closely.

Grace took him up to see her room, and Steve made sure to stay in just the right position on the way up the stairs, in case Danny fell backwards. Danny gave him a look when they reached the top that said he knew what Steve was doing, but he didn't look annoyed, so Steve took that as tacit permission to keep doing it.

He wasn't surprised that Grace refused to let Danny out of her sight. Steve barely let him out of his sight as well. It was still a little jarring to turn and see him there, or to hear his voice or his laugh. The whole day had the same kind of surreal quality as the day Danny had died--or, rather, they'd thought he had--only with a happier ending.

Because Danny was there.

Once they'd had dinner and both assured Grace that she did, in fact, have to go to school tomorrow, no matter how much she wanted to stay home, Danny went up to put her to bed. Steve followed up the stairs again, but went to his own room instead of following them to Grace's.

He wandered around his room, cleaning up while he waited. He'd put fresh sheets on the other spare bed the night before, but he was hoping they wouldn't need them. He desperately wanted to sleep knowing Danny was there beside him, even if they did nothing else just yet.

"Hey," Danny said from the doorway, startling Steve out of his thoughts.

"Hey."

"Grace wants you to say goodnight."

"Oh." Steve was touched--he hadn't been sure Grace would need him now that Danny was back.

Danny smiled. "She's not going to let you go now that she's got you," he said, and something in the way he said it warmed Steve.

"I was kind of hoping she wouldn't," he said.

"She's been sleeping with the TV on, so she wanted to play it."

Steve nodded. "It has a timer. It helps her fall asleep." He raised an eyebrow. "Like father like daughter."

"And yet I noticed you didn't make her wear earphones."

"She didn't need the volume at a hundred decibels." Steve's smile faded a little. "Are you okay with her leaving it on? I mean, it helped after...."

"Steven," Danny said, taking a few steps forward and putting his hand on Steve's arm."You've been doing a great job with her," he said. "I've had a front row seat, remember?"

Steve nodded. "I just...I wanted to make her feel safe."

"And she clearly did. She was doing well."

"She's better now that you're back."

"Yeah, well, how's she going to react when Rachel never comes back?"

Steve put his hand on top of Danny's. "You'll be there for her. That'll be enough."

" _We'll_ be there for her," Danny said, dropping his hand. Steve missed the touch. "Come on, say goodnight."

Steve went down to Grace's room with Danny and tucked her in, the way he had for the last month, only this time, Danny was standing there beside him. She looked up at him hopefully. "Do I really have to go to school tomorrow?"

"Yes." Steve folded his arms over his chest. "Which your dad's already told you, right?" At her nod, Steve said, "Then there's no need to ask again, is there?"

"No," she said. "Sorry."

"Go to sleep." He brushed her hair back and left Danny to say a final goodnight. 


	11. Chapter 11

He was only in his room for about a minute before he heard footsteps, and then the bedroom door closed. "I made up the bed in the other room," Steve said into the silence that followed, not turning around from where he was refolding shirts in a drawer. "You can sleep in there, or you can--"

"Steven."

He looked over his shoulder to see Danny leaning against the door, watching him with a fond smile. God he'd missed that expression. Missed that face, that voice. Missed Danny. He'd thought he realized how much, but only now, faced with him there, did he really get it. He swallowed carefully. "What?"

"Stop with the nervous laundry," Danny said, and Steve could hear him moving across the room, "and come over here."

Steve closed the drawer and turned around to see Danny sitting on the bed. Steve crossed to the bed slowly and sat down next to him, looking at where Danny's hands rested on his thighs. His eyes traveled up Danny's chest to his face, to find a smile there, and Danny's eyes waiting for his.

"I'm sorry," Steve said.

"For what?" Danny asked softly, his smile still in place. "Taking care of my daughter like she was yours? Cleaning up everything? Bringing me back from the dead?"

"I should've known you weren't dead."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Because you're what, omniscient?"

"Nice to see you didn't forget your big words while you were dead."

"Nice to see you haven't lost your bad sense of humor while I was dead." Danny laid his hand on Steve's where it rested on the bed. "I saw the forensics report--don't look so surprised, Donner wanted to make sure that I knew there was absolutely no chance anyone would come looking for me."

Danny ducked down a little to make Steve meet his gaze again. "You had a dead body that even Max, who, despite his rambling, is kind of a genius, was convinced was me. Wearing my clothes and carrying all my stuff. DNA evidence. Who in their right mind would think it wasn't me?"

"Maybe someone with a little experience in bombed family coming back to life?"

"Okay, that just makes it even more unlikely," Danny said, but Steve had seen that smile grow on the word 'family.' "You had no reason to think I was alive, Steve. None."

"I know."

Danny sighed. "And yet you're still going to go twenty rounds with Commander McGuilttrip in your head."

"I didn't even notice the guy had cameras in my house, Danny."

"You weren't supposed to. This guy is good. You have no idea what it took to take him down the first time. And from what I gather, there's a whole bunch from back then that I missed, too. He also made fools out of the entire state penitentiary system of New Jersey, and of the NYPD, just to name a few. You think you're somehow immune?"

"Yes."

Danny laughed. "You know," he said, the laughter fading into a look that made Steve start reminding himself that Danny was in no shape for all the things Steve had been dreaming about, "I'm the one who needs to apologize."

"For what?" Steve asked, his attempt at levity not helped when he had to clear his throat. "Not escaping a secure house in which you were chained to a wall?"

"No." Danny wasn't about to be sidetracked, apparently. "The letter."

Steve felt his throat working for a few seconds before any sound came out. "You want to apologize for what you said in the letter?"

"No." Danny's hand slid up Steve's arm, coming to rest on his shoulder. "I want to apologize for not saying it in person."

"Well, to be fair, you were dead at the time."

Danny shook his head, ignoring the flip comment. "I should've said it. I shouldn't have written it down and left it like that. If I had really been gone--"

"But you're not."

"But if I _had_ ," Danny said. "To leave you with that was just...I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"I just...I was working myself up to saying something, and that letter was supposed to kick me in the ass to _make_ me say something because I knew what it would do to you if you read it when I was gone. And then suddenly I _was_ gone."

Steve put his hand on Danny's cheek, half his palm tickled by the beard, his thumb resting on bone just below Danny's eye, rubbing across the tiny creases there. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. I saw you," he said. "I watched you read the letter." Danny was the one who was hoarse now, but he didn't even bother trying to clear his throat. "I heard what you said that night, and I watched you dream, and I watched you read it over and over the past month, and watched you dream some more, and that...I'm sorry."

"I could've said something, too," Steve said. "If something had happened to me, you'd have never have known anything I felt for you. Would that somehow be better?"

Danny huffed, a hint of a smile settling back on his face. "I knew," he said. "I wouldn't have written that letter if I didn't. I just..."

"Was afraid?" At Danny's nod, Steve smiled. "So was I."

"Was?"

Steve nodded. "Was."

He leaned in, and Danny met him halfway. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, until it actually registered in Steve's brain that this was happening. Danny was alive, and in his arms, and kissing him. His mouth was opening, and he was pushing Steve back on the bed, half covering Steve's body with his own while his hands explored Steve's torso.

Danny's beard was coarse and rough, but Steve didn't mind. He wanted reminders in the morning when he woke up, wanted to look in the mirror and see beard burn and hickeys and anything else Danny was willing to give. Anything that would remind him that he'd been here with a living breathing Danny, and not the ghost that had haunted his dreams for a month.

Not that he planned on letting Danny out of his sight for long at any point, but he wanted those reminders nonetheless.

"The things I want to do to you," Danny muttered against Steve's neck. "You have no idea."

"I have some idea," Steve said, his hands tugging at Danny's shirt, trying to get it off.

Danny let go of him long enough to get the shirt off. "I watched you," he said, his hand sliding down Steve's torso to tug at the hem of Steve's shirt, slowly pulling it up Steve's chest. "At night, getting yourself off. The first time I did, it felt a little creepy, and then you said my name, and...I couldn't stop watching. If I was asleep, those sounds would wake me up."

"It's only fair," Steve said, his voice hoarse. "Most of the time I was waking up from a dream where it was your mouth or hands or your body that was getting me off."

" _Most_ of the time?" Danny asked, his hand stilling as his muscles tensed.

"The rest of the time it was consciously you in my head," Steve clarified, pulling on his shirt himself. Danny helped him get it over his head and Steve tossed it aside, reveling in the feel of Danny's chest against his, soft hair mixing with warm skin to create a sensation better than silk.

Danny relaxed. "Glad to hear it."

Steve braced a foot on the bed and pushed, rolling them over so Danny was underneath him. "Who else could it have been?" Steve asked, running his fingers up Danny's torso and back down just to feel the shudder that ran through Danny, and see the goose bumps it raised on his skin.

"Any one of a number of people."

Steve shook his head. "Nope. Couldn't have been." He met Danny's eyes. "There wasn't room in my head for anyone else once you moved in there."

Danny's smile was brilliant, and it made Steve's hips push against Danny's thigh, reminding him that they were both still wearing pants. "Why are we not naked?"

"Because you distracted me in the process of trying to get us naked."

"Shame on me," Steve said. "Let me fix that."

He made quick work of the rest of their clothes, and then he was back, the feeling of Danny's naked body running along the length of his own nothing short of amazing. He could get off just from that, though he wanted Danny's mouth on him, wanted to suck Danny off, wanted to fuck Danny and then have him return the favor. He wanted so much that he didn't even know where to start.

Or what Danny was even up for tonight, given everything he'd been through.

"Is this okay?" Steve asked.

"Okay? This is way more than okay," Danny replied fervently.

"Not bothering your muscles or anything?"

Danny shook his head. "I'm not going to break," he said. "I don't think I'm up for any particularly flexible moves," he said, making Steve's dick jump at the mere idea of what kind of flexible moves Danny might have, "but plain old sex isn't going to hurt me."

As if sex could ever be described as 'plain' or 'old' with Danny.

Steve leaned in for another kiss, his hand scraping across Danny's beard to his neck, running along his spine to the swell of his ass. His palm cupped Danny there, guiding his movements as Steve thrust against him. His dick slid against Danny's, the friction of their bodies getting them both off faster than Steve would've expected.

Then again, considering how long they'd waited, maybe the speed wasn't such a surprise.

They lay there for a long time, catching their breath, fingers absently exploring random bits of each others' skin. He felt Danny moisten his lips, his tongue darting out against Steve's collar bone before Danny looked up at him.

"Donner was trying to torture me," he said slowly, his voice dark and quiet. "He wanted me to see everyone else's life go on without me, the way his family had, the way his daughter had."

Danny's fingers curled around Steve's hip, as if he was looking for an anchor. "But all he did," Danny continued, "was give me hope. Every time I saw how you took care of Grace, every time I woke up to you saying my name...I knew you'd figure it out eventually. And I knew you'd find me."

"Danny...." What could he possibly say in the face of that much trust and faith? "There are two things I'd have never stopped doing," he said carefully. "Taking care of Grace, and making sure Donner paid."

"Well, Donner's in jail now," Danny said. "We just have to make sure he stays there."

"We will," Steve said, the moment he'd found Danny etched onto the back of his eyelids in vivid detail. "When I think about you stuck in that room, nothing but those TVs...."

Danny's grip loosened a little, sliding up to Steve's chest. "But it didn't break me," he said. "Well, I might be cured of sleeping with the TV on," he joked. "But all it did was make me stronger. Donner never stood a chance in hell of winning on that front. Against either of us."

Steve leaned in for another kiss, then wrinkled his nose at the way they were starting to stick together a little. "Maybe we should shower before we actually go to sleep?"

"A shower would be heaven," Danny said, scratching at his beard. "And maybe I could shave this thing off?"

Steve eyed him critically. "I don't know," he said, "it gives you a sort of mountain man air...."

"Does anything else about me even remotely suggest mountain man to you?"

"Okay, shaving it is, then. In fact," Steve said, "maybe I can help?"

Danny's eyes darkened. "Be my guest."

Which is how Steve found himself standing over Danny after their shower, in a bathroom full of steam, scissors in hand. Danny was seated on the toilet, a towel wrapped around his waist, but gaping open and hiding almost nothing.

Steve only hoped Danny's thighs didn't distract him into accidentally cutting Danny's throat.

Of course, if they didn't, Danny's chest might. "Here," Steve said, covering Danny's chest with a towel. "Hold that out a little."

Danny did as he was told. Steve thought he could see a smart remark behind Danny's eyes, but he said nothing, and Steve was a little grateful for it. Because this was...something. Danny had spent the last month at someone else's mercy, and now here he was, practically naked, trusting Steve with a blade at his throat.

It was almost more of a turn on than all that skin. All that trust....

Steve blew out a breath and leaned in, carefully trimming the beard, letting the hair fall into the towel Danny held out. He could feel Danny's breath, could feel the heat radiating off of his body, despite the warmth of the room from their shower.

When he'd trimmed enough away to find Danny's jaw line, he traced a finger down it to his chin before meeting Danny's eyes, finding warmth and a hint of lightness that hadn't been there when they'd brought him home that night. "I think I can switch to the razor," Steve said, his voice husky, almost foreign to his own ears. "Should I leave a little?"

"No." Danny's response was quick and firm. "I want it gone."

Steve swallowed, seeing a momentary cloud flicker through Danny's eyes. Of course, he'd want all traces of the last month to disappear. "A clean start it is, then," Steve said.

Danny closed his eyes and Steve went to work, enjoying the chance to get to learn every angle and curve of Danny's face. It was a face Steve had memorized well without even realizing it, not even a month's absence able to dim the knowledge of every line.

He drew the blade carefully up over Danny's chin, careful of the slight indent there. He paid special attention when the blade was taking care of the patch of hair just under Danny's mouth, wanting to make sure there was no damage.

It would be a pity to damage that mouth in any way, especially when Steve had so many plans for it.

When he was almost done, he put a towel under hot water, and when he finished, he squeezed most of the water out and put the towel over Danny's face, covering it completely. He took the towel Danny had used to catch most of the hair and balled it up by the hamper to deal with later, and took a moment to compose himself before Danny pulled the hot towel down of his face, his eyes bright on Steve's.

Steve cleared his throat, but his voice was still hoarse as he asked, "Better?"

Danny's smile was small, but real. "Much."

Steve took the hot towel and used it to make sure there were no fine hairs sticking to Danny's chest, a job that quickly degenerated into Steve just running his hands over Danny's chest. Danny pushed him back just enough for him to stand before taking Steve into his arms again for a kiss. "Now that we're all clean," Danny said, his voice a near whisper, "what do you say we go back to bed?"

As if Steve wouldn't go anywhere Danny asked. "I think that sounds like a brilliant plan."

***


	12. Chapter 12

Steve felt as if he'd had a full night's sleep when he woke, despite the fact that he'd probably gotten only a couple of hours here and there. He'd woken with Danny in his arms, and Danny's hand around his dick.

Who could feel sleepy after that?

They'd barely managed to get into clothes before Grace was banging on the door and throwing herself into Danny's arms. She tried once again to get to stay home, but Danny and Steve were both firm. They lessened the blow by promising to go swimming with her as soon as school was over.

Steve didn't even bother to ask if the doctor had said Danny could go to work. Danny would just give him the same look Steve himself would give if the situation was reversed, and anyway, Steve didn't really want to let Danny out of his sight for very long.

After they dropped Grace off at school, they were almost to HQ when Steve couldn't take Danny's frown anymore. "What's wrong?"

"I just..." Danny sighed. "I miss the Camaro. Your truck is too tall."

Steve laughed. "We'll get a new Camaro."

"We will?" Danny asked, brightening.

Steve nodded. "First thing next week."

"Why not tomorrow?"

"Because I thought we'd go ahead and take Grace to the resort after school. The suite's still ours if we want it. The resort was apparently grateful for the fact that we kept them from becoming a crime scene and said we could still have it."

Danny looked at him for a moment. "They couldn't sell it this late, could they?'

"That'd be my guess." Steve shot him a grin. "Their loss is our gain?" When Danny didn't respond right away, Steve said, "I know Grace was looking forward to it."

"No, sorry, so am I," Danny said, but his smile was a little distracted. "I'm just focused on Donner."

Steve bit at his bottom lip, glancing at Danny out of the corner of his eye. "You're okay with watching the interrogation and not going in there?"

"Yeah." Danny sunk into the seat at little. "Is it bad that I'm okay with it?"

Steve shook his head. "Only if it's bad that I'm happy you're okay with it."

That got him a slight laugh. "What can he possibly do to me that he hasn't already?" Danny asked.

" _Actually_ kill you."

The words weren't meant to be quiet as serious as they came out, but Danny apparently realized how much it worried Steve. Or maybe it worried him just as much; Steve wasn't sure. Donner was in jail, it wasn't as if they really needed to worry.

And yet he'd been in jail before, and look what happened.

They pulled into the parking lot beside the Ali'iolani Hale. Steve stopped Danny from getting out, a hand on Danny's thigh. "You're sure you're okay with staying out of the interrogation?"

"Yeah. I'm good."

"Okay." He gave Danny's thigh a squeeze and got out, walking beside Danny up the sidewalk and into the building.

Chin and Kono welcomed Danny back with open arms, literally, hugs all around. Danny walked into his office and turned to look at Steve, eyebrows raised. "It doesn't look any different."

"I hadn't gotten around to doing anything about it yet." And probably wouldn't have for months, but he didn't think he needed to mention that, because he suspected Danny already knew it.

"I'm glad," Danny said, looking around again. "It'd be a pain in the ass to have to set it all up again."

Chin knocked on the door. "Donner's in the rendition room," he said to Steve, shooting Danny the barest of glances as he said it. "If you're ready?"

Steve nodded, and Chin left the room. Steve looked at Danny. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Steve left Danny outside the room, watching through the two-way mirror, with a squeeze to Danny's shoulder. Steve stopped just outside of the room, nodding to Chin before they walked inside.

Donner was in the chair, hands cuffed behind him. "I want my lawyer," he said, as soon as Steve and Chin walked in.

"That’s nice," Steve said. "I want a steak." He looked over at Chin. "Can I have a steak?"

"No."

Steve shrugged and looked at Donner. "Guess neither of us is getting what we want."

"You can't talk to me once I ask for my lawyer."

"That depends on two things," Steve said, taking a few steps closer to him. "One, that we don't already have enough witnesses and evidence to put you away for so many life sentences that your great-great-great-great-grandchildren will still be in jail, and two, that I gave a shit what you asked for."

"The law says--"

"Do _not_ tell me what the law says," Steve replied, his voice low and steely as he leaned in close, getting in Donner's face. It felt good to have an outlet for everything he'd gone through. That Danny and Grace had gone through. "I don't know if you've heard, but we're 5-0. We have full immunity and means. You know what that means?"

"I don't--"

"I'll tell you what that means. It means in this room you are _mine_." Steve waved a hand around. "You see any cameras?"

Donner nodded at Chin. "I see a witness."

"He works for me," Steve said, almost nose to nose with Donner. "Who do you think he's going to support when it comes time to testify?"

Donner's eyes darted back and forth between Steve and Chin, and Steve allowed himself a small smile. "I see you understand your situation," Steve said, backing off a little. "Now, we already know that you killed Rachel and Stan Edwards and someone else you set up to look like Detective Williams, and that you kidnapped and held Detective Williams against his will." Steve folded his arms over his chest, looking down at Donner. "So who did you kill in place of Detective Williams?"

Donner stared him down. "I don't remember saying I'd killed anyone."

Steve didn't even realize his arm was drawn back to throw the punch until Chin stopped him, arms wrapped around Steve as he held him back. "He can't talk if you break his jaw," Chin said, very matter-of-fact. "Aim for the chest and his back. We can explain the bruises with a fall on the way out of the room when we take him back to HPD."

It worked. Donner paled a bit. "It was some homeless guy," he said, his shoulders slumping a little. "I don't know who he was. I saw him in Ala Moana Park and he was the right height. A little more scrawny than Williams, but I figured nobody would notice once he was a crispy critter."

Chin was on Steve before he even had the chance to pull his arm back for a punch this time. "Not worth it," Chin said low in Steve's ear. "Maybe you should knock the chair over," Chin said, his voice loud enough to carry to Donner this time. "It'll look more natural."

Steve nodded, and Chin got the message that Steve was in control again. "Why kill Stan and Rachel?" Steve asked, hand running casually along the back of the chair Donner was cuffed to, tipping it a little when he got to the end, just to make his point.

"Because I needed Williams to see his daughter lose everything."

"But she didn't lose everything," Steve said, coming back around to face Donner. "She still had me."

"For now." Donner's smile made Steve nauseous. "I would've taken care of that once she'd gotten over it a little." Donner's smile widened. "She'd have been the one to discover your body."

Steve didn't even realize he'd thrown the punch until he felt the impact all the way back into his shoulder. Donner was hunched over, trying to protect his solar plexus--not easy with his arms cuffed behind him.

"Steve," Chin said quietly, a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine." Steve shook him off, leaning in to get in Donner's face again. "You," he said slowly, "are never going to hurt the Williams family, or anyone else, ever again. You got that?"

Donner raised one eyebrow at him. "Who's going to stop me?"

"The State of Hawaii, for one."

Donner shrugged. "Hawaii doesn't have the death penalty."

"Maybe not," Steve said, leaning close to Donner's ear, his voice meant for Donner alone, "but I know people in Halawa who owe me." He paused for effect. "Good luck making it to your trial."

Steve stood, giving Donner a dismissive look before turning on his heel and walking out without a second glance.

Danny was standing outside, eyes glued to the mirror. "He was going to kill you."

"But he didn't," Steve said, his hand wrapped around Danny's forearm. "He didn't kill either of us. We're fine."

"Not if he escapes again."

"He won't. We'll see to it." He wouldn't actually have Donner killed in prison, but he would do everything in his power to see to it the man never saw the outside of a prison again.  

Danny met his gaze, and he could see the uncertainty in Danny's gaze for a moment before it faded, replaced by a slow smile. "Okay," he said. "If you say so."

"I do."

"Well, if there's one thing I've learned, it's not to argue with Steve McGarrett when he's sure about something."

Steve laughed. "Are you kidding me? That's when you argue the most."

"I said I'd learned it. I didn't say I always followed the lesson." Danny nudged him with his shoulder, pushing him towards the stairs. "Where would you be if I did?"

Steve leaned into Danny, pressing their arms together. "Completely lost, Danno. Completely lost."

***


	13. Chapter 13

Steve woke with a sense of the familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The bed was different, the sheets were different, but the warmth and smell were...Danny.

He opened his eyes to see Danny still sleeping, tangled up in Steve, one leg slotted between both of Steve's, his thigh pressed against Steve's dick, and totally to blame for Steve's erection. Though Steve suspected the mere act of waking up with Danny might be enough to cause that all on its own. He looked amazing, with the morning sun falling over his hair and face, highlighting the golden stubble just starting to scruff up his cheeks again.

Danny stirred, stretching, his thigh rubbing against Steve's dick, and Steve couldn't quite stifle the groan, or the way his hand reflexively curled around Danny's hip.

He probably should've felt guilty about waking Danny up, but the smile that he got when Danny hit consciousness was too good to leave any regret. "Morning," Danny said, and this time the rub of his thigh against Steve's dick was clearly deliberate.

"A very good morning to you," Steve said.

"You're up nice and early," Danny added, his hand drifting down to Steve's ass, pulling him closer, and now Steve could feel Danny's dick against his own thigh.

Two could play at that game. Steve's hand moved down to Danny's ass, his top leg wrapping around Danny's thigh, bringing their bodies together as tightly as he could. "So are you," Steve breathed against Danny's mouth, swallowing his smile with a kiss.

They moved together slowly, no rush, tension building slowly between them until it overflowed, leaving them gasping against each other.

The sheets were prickly hot against Steve's skin, and he shoved them down to his waist, preferring to be wrapped up in Danny anyway. His breathing was almost back to normal when a banging on their bedroom door startled him.

"Danno! Steve!" Grace's voice was barely even muffled by the heavy wooden door. "Get up! We have to go play with the dolphins!"

"Go take a shower," Danny yelled back, demonstrating just where Grace had gotten her lung capacity from. "Then we'll have breakfast and then play with the dolphins."

Steve couldn't help laughing at the annoyed sigh on the other side of the door, could easily picture the eye roll that went with it. "Fifteen minutes!" Grace yelled, and he heard her footsteps run off.

"Sometimes I'm not sure who's the boss here," Danny said, shaking his head.

"Just be glad she didn't barge in."

Danny gave him an amused look. "First thing you learn when they start to walk is to lock any door you don't want them barging through," he said. " _Especially_ the bedroom, if you're planning on having sex."

"Oh, so this was premeditated?" Steve asked, shifting his body around just to feel Danny's skin rubbing against his.

"I'd say more inevitable than premeditated." Danny's smile made Steve wish he was just a little younger. "You, me, a bed...foregone conclusion."

"Mmmm." Steve leaned in for a lingering kiss. "You know what else is a foregone conclusion?"

Danny raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"That Grace is probably going to be banging on that door in about ten minutes."

Danny sighed. "Guess we'll have to shower together if we want to be ready for that."

"Speak for yourself," Steve said. "I can shower in three minutes."

"I bet I can keep you in there a few minutes longer," Danny murmured against Steve's lips.

"Let's go find out."

***


	14. Chapter 14

Steve couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Grace this happy. Her smile was so big and so constant that he wondered at what point her face might actually start to hurt. She also ate more at breakfast than he'd seen her eat in a while.

Then again, so did he, and for the same reason. Danny, sitting there between them, smiling and making jokes, already looking stronger and healthier than he had when Steve had found him a few days before. He was wearing sunglasses, the one concession to having spent the last month in a dark room, and Steve missed being able to see his eyes. But he was so happy to see him at all that it didn't matter.

They sat close together as Grace played with the dolphins. Their arms and legs constantly brushed against one another, and there was far more touching than was strictly necessary--except that it was absolutely necessary as far as Steve was concerned. It was starting to feel more real, having Danny there, though sometimes Steve still had a moment of disorientation, his brain too used to having to remind him Danny _wasn't_ there.

But he was. And when Steve remembered that, the joy drove everything else away.

By the time they finished dinner, Grace was having trouble keeping her eyes open. When Danny saved her from going face first into her ice cream for the second time, Steve suggested maybe it was time for bed.

Grace protested all the way upstairs. "Can't we just watch a movie, at least?"

Steve understood. She wanted to stay awake and in Danny's presence as much as possible. He'd slept very little, not just because of the obvious, but because even when Danny would sleep, Steve would find himself lying there, watching him breathe.

"Maybe for a little bit," Steve said, exchanging a look with Danny. "But only if you get ready for bed first."

"Yes!"

Grace ran ahead of them to the hotel room door, hurrying through it to her room to get ready for bed. "Movie?" Danny asked him when she was gone.

"She'll be asleep inside fifteen minutes once it starts."

"I know, it's just..." Danny scratched his forehead. "It's hard to reconcile Mr. Military Rules with this guy who thinks it's okay to stay up past bedtime and fall asleep to movies after two helpings of ice cream."

Steve shrugged, turning away to search through the fridge, even though the beers were easy to find. "I've had to shift my perception a little," he said.

Danny's hand was warm on his shoulder, pulling him away from the fridge and turning him around. "What, pray tell, could make the great Commander McGarrett shift his perception?"

"Grace," Steve said, stopping to clear his throat. "Kids...sometimes you have to bend the rules just a little for things to work, especially when something...happens."

Something in Danny's face did weird things to Steve's heart before Danny pulled Steve into a hug. "You're something else," Danny said softly in Steve's ear, before moving back just enough to give Steve a kiss.

Steve allowed a few kisses before he said, "Grace will be out of the shower any minute."

"So?"

Steve frowned. "So, don't you think she should hear from you what's going on here," he said, indicating the two of them, "before she just walks in on us kissing?"

Danny's laughter made Steve frown more. "Really?" Danny asked, his hand gentle on the back of Steve's neck, but firm, holding him there. "You think I need to explain what's going on with us to Grace?"

"I do. She shouldn't be confused, not after everything she's gone through, and I don't want her thinking I'm going to take you away or something and--why are you laughing?"

It took Danny a few seconds to stop laughing enough to explain. "The night I came home from the hospital," Danny said, "and was putting Grace to bed, before I came in to get you to say goodnight, do you know what she did?"

Steve shook his head.

"She sat me down," Danny continued, "and told me that you were very sad when I went away, because you loved me. And that I needed to take care of you the way I used to take care of her mother."

Steve blinked. "She said _what_?"

Danny laughed again. "Yeah, I had to stop and ask her what she meant. And she said I was supposed to sleep in your bed and make sure the monsters didn't get you."

"I..." Steve shook his head. "I don't even know what to say to that."

"Say thank you to whoever puts ideas in little girl's heads that we don't have to explain anything else to her."

"I'll second that."

He heard Grace coming and stepped back, grabbing Danny's hand and pulling him over to the couch. Grace sat down between them, and Steve started Cinderella. Before Cinderella was even an adult, Grace was fast asleep against Danny's shoulder, her jaw slack and the tiny little half snores Steve had learned meant he could pick her up without waking her in full evidence.

"I'll take her in," Steve said, not wanting to tax Danny's strength just yet.

"I'm not going to break," Danny said. "But go ahead."

Steve smiled down at Danny as he picked Grace up and carried her through to her room. He put her into bed, pulling the covers up and brushing her hair back after she'd settled into the pillow. He tried to imagine her telling Danny he had to take care of Steve, and could picture it far too easily. She'd definitely taken care of him in her own way when Danny had been gone, if only by being the one thing he needed as inspiration to take care of himself.

With one last kiss to her forehead, Steve went in search of the other reason he had to take care of himself. Danny wasn't in the living room, so Steve went through to their room to find him already shirtless and the bed turned down.

"Starting without me?" Steve teased, closing the door. He leaned against it and reached behind himself to lock it.

"Well, I've seen how fast you can strip," Danny replied. "Figured a head start wouldn't hurt."

Steve pushed off the door and stalked across the room. "I can put my skills to good use helping you out of your clothes," he offered, reaching for Danny's fly.

"Wouldn't want to put perfectly good skills to waste," Danny said, reaching for the hem of Steve's shirt.

They undressed each other quickly, barely letting go to crawl onto the bed. Steve was steadily making his way down Danny's neck when Danny stopped him, pushing at Steve until he rolled to the side. "What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"Nothing. I just need something."

Danny rolled away, reaching into his shaving kit on the night stand. Steve had been so focused on Danny he hadn't even noticed the kit was there. He forgot all about it again when Danny rolled back over with a condom packet and a tube.

"Danny...are you sure?"

"What, do you want to take half an hour to talk about our feelings first?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "No, jackass, I mean are you sure you're up for it?" His hands traveled down Danny's side. "Your muscles..."

"I'm fine." At Steve's raised eyebrow, Danny sighed. "Okay, I'm fine enough for this, anyway. I'm not looking to try out half the Kama Sutra, I just want you." His hand slid down to wrap around Steve's cock. "Inside me, and preferably without waiting for a doctor's note."

Steve pushed up into Danny's hand. "Well since you put it so eloquently," Steve said, his voice breaking on the last word as Danny squeezed.

"I can be persuasive when I need to be."

Steve took the condom and lube from Danny's hand. "You promise to tell me if I'm hurting you."

"I'm not into masochism, babe. I will. Now will you get on with it?"

With a deep breath to calm himself, Steve maneuvered Danny onto his side, facing away from Steve. He would've preferred to see Danny's face, but this would be the easiest position on Danny's muscles.

Fingers slick, Steve slid them between Danny's cheeks, seeking out his hole as Steve kissed his way down Danny's spine. Danny canted his hips, opening himself up a little, and Steve found his target, slipping one finger inside.

"Danny," Steve muttered against Danny's back, feeling the movement of Danny's skin as Danny pushed back onto Steve's finger. He was so tight, Steve had to take another breath to get himself under control again. He rolled Danny just a bit, just enough that Steve could kiss his way down to Danny's ass, parting his cheeks and dipping his tongue inside, coaxing Danny's muscles to relax.

"Fuck!" Danny said, hissing, pushing his ass back at Steve's face. Steve's tongue worked its way inside Danny's body, in and out, until Danny was writhing against him. Satisfied that he had Danny relaxed, he added one finger again, finding it a little easier.

Two fingers made their way in, and Steve wasn't sure he was going to make it to three without ending things earlier than he wanted. Danny was pushing back, making noises that Steve would've wondered if he could sell, if he wasn't so greedy that he wanted them all for himself. He found himself sucking at Danny's lower back, leaving a mark there, as he opened Danny up thoroughly.

"Fuck...Steve...would you just fuck me already?"

"Danny--"

"I swear to God if the next thing in my ass is not your dick, I will punch you in the face. Again."

Steve grinned against Danny's back. "Well since you asked so nicely...."

He let his fingers slip free of Danny's body, loving the way Danny instinctively moved backwards as if seeking them out again. Steve hurriedly put the condom on and lined himself up, taking a deep breath before he pushed inside.

Fuck. If Danny had felt tight around his fingers, it was nothing compared to the way he felt around Steve's dick. Steve moved carefully, pushing into Danny in what felt like millimeters, worried that moving any faster would bring him off before he'd even had a chance to get all the way inside.

Danny wasn't helping, making even more of those noises, pushing his ass back almost faster than Steve could take. His leg was hitched back over Steve's, trapping him there, limiting his movement, but making him feel as if Danny had more control over this than Steve did somehow.

Which helped. Steve let out a breath, tasting Danny's neck. "You feel...God, Danny, you feel so fucking amazing."

"You...seriously, stop with the words, Steven. Just...fuck. Stop."

Danny was pushing back harder, and Steve's hand found its way around Danny's body, flattening out against his chest, their bodies moving together. It was unlike anything he'd ever had, and he didn't want it to end, but his body was saying otherwise, pressing him to move harder and faster, feeling Danny's answering increase in speed, until there was nothing but the friction between them, the heat as they moved faster and faster.

Steve gripped Danny's dick, wanting Danny to come with him, wanting it to be the best he'd ever had. He couldn't stop himself from tasting Danny's neck, whatever part of skin he could get his mouth attached to as he thrust into Danny's body.

He couldn't hold back any longer and he only hoped Danny was with him as he came hard, burying himself as deep in Danny's body as he could. He felt Danny freeze, too, heard him cry out and shudder along with Steve.

When Steve caught his breath, he could feel Danny moving, felt the loss when Danny pulled off him, only to realize that Danny was rolling over to wrap himself in Steve's embrace, his mouth pressed against Steve's neck.

After a few tries, Steve managed to find Danny's mouth, capturing it in a long kiss. "That was..." Steve breathed into Danny's mouth.

"Something?" Danny finished, sounding as breathless as Steve felt.

"Yeah." He smiled against Danny's mouth, kissing it once more for good measure. "How about we keep doing that over and over again?"

"I think that sounds like an excellent plan."

Steve's yawn broke the romance, though. "Maybe after a little sleep?"

"Maybe just a little, yeah." Danny pulled back, and Steve knew what he wanted, managed to open his eyes enough to meet Danny's gaze. "I love you."

Steve smiled. "I love you, too."

"Good."

Danny settled into his arms, and Steve held him tight. Whatever might happen, they had each other, and if nothing else, the last month had taught him that in itself, that was more than a lot of people had in a lifetime.

\---

END

**Author's Note:**

> Want to learn more about me and my writing? Visit my page at <http://www.jamiemeadowswrites.com/>

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art: All Alright](https://archiveofourown.org/works/742613) by [uxseven (ignemferam)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignemferam/pseuds/uxseven)




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